Former MLB player Darin Ruf's saw his career end after a knee injury he suffered in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park in 2023. Now, two years later, he's suing the Reds.
Ruf ran into what the lawsuit says was an unpadded, metal tarp roller on June 2, 2023. It would be the last major-league game of his career. He returned more than three months later in Triple-A to appear in seven games before his professional career ended.
Ruf's lawsuit accuses the Reds of negligence in failing to maintain safe field conditions, citing negligent and "reckless" conduct from the grounds crew to leave the tarp in such fashion.
"This didn't need to happen," Ruf said in a statement (via AP). "I wish it didn't happen. Players shouldn't have to worry about hidden hazards like that on a major league field."
Per Ruf's complaint, he suffered "permanent and substantial deformities to his knee."
"This was an obvious and avoidable risk," Tad Thomas, Ruf's attorney, said in a release announcing the lawsuit. "There are basic safety protocols every MLB team should follow. Leaving an unpadded metal roller on the edge of the field is inexcusable."
Ruf spent parts of nine seasons in Major League Baseball, playing for the Phillies, Giants, Mets and Brewers. The now-38-year-old was originally a 20th-round draft pick out of Creighton and appeared in 581 regular-season games in addition to four playoff games. Most notably, he homered in Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS for the Giants, which would end up their only run in the elimination game.
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