Why Darin Ruf's days with the New York Mets may be near an end

Darin Ruf had a rough two months with the New York Mets in 2022, and it appears his days with the club may be numbered. Earlier this week, Ruf told reporters that he has arthritis in his wrist, putting his future with the team in doubt. 

Ruf is locked into a battle with rookie Mark Vientos for the right-handed designated hitter job. In 66 at-bats with the Mets in 2022, Ruf slashed a horrendous .152/.216/.197 with zero homers. 

“Baseball is a very, very tough sport,” Ruf recently told Newsday. “Throughout any at-bat, you look for the positives in it. I hit a few foul homers that started fair and went foul. Nobody cares about those because they ended up in strikeouts probably.”

The 36-year-old sounds like someone who is desperate to change the narrative following a disastrous second-half in 2022.

When asked about Ruf’s job status last weekend, Mets general manager Billy Eppler went on a soliloquy detailing the Mets' offseason additions and rookie contributions, but failed to mention Ruf, a potentially telling sign.

Vientos has been in Mets camp since early February. Ruf arrived last Sunday, putting him more than two weeks behind his main competitor.

Ruf's chances to make the roster seem slim, but even with the injury, they are not none. Eppler has repeatedly preached about the necessity of defensive versatility, something Ruf provides that Vientos does not. 

Ruf can play both corner outfield spots and first base.

With Tommy Pham, Luis Guillorme and Tomas Nido locked into spots on the Mets' bench, it leaves only one open roster spot for Vientos or Ruf.

Ruf told reporters he was not concerned about his wrist arthritis and should resume swinging in a couple days.

The veteran must prove to Mets' brass that he is still the power-hitting San Francisco version of himself, but he can only do that if he is healthy and on the field.