Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves

7 things you may not know about Rio Ruiz

The Braves acquired Rio Ruiz and pitchers Mike Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman from the Astros for catcher/DH Evan Gattis and pitcher James Hoyt on Jan. 14, 2015. Ruiz committed to play football and baseball for USC, but signed with the Astros when drafted in the fourth round. He was a quarterback and safety in football. He committed to play baseball for USC when he was a high school freshman. His first big league hit was a triple off Jeanmar Gomez of the Phillies on Sept. 28, 2016. That remains his only t
By
Feb 21, 2018

Braves third-base prospect Rio Ruiz is out of options and playing first base, too, this spring as he tries to make the 25-man roster when the Braves break camp late next month.

Ruiz was born May 22, 1994 in Covina, Calif. He was drafted in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2012 draft by the Houston Astros and made his major league debut with the Braves on Sept. 18, 2016.

> More: Rio's thoughts on playing first and competition at third

About the Author

David Wellham has worked as an editor and content producer at the AJC since 2006, but his knowledge of sports in metro Atlanta and Georgia dates to much earlier. He uses his institutional knowledge to help the AJC provide in-depth coverage of area sports and sports teams. David can be reached at 404-526-5424 and dwellham@ajc.com.

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