Former MLB outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf is suing the Cincinnati Reds for damages after he sustained a career-ending injury while crashing into an uncovered tarp roller.
The incident happened at Great American Ballpark two years ago while Ruf was playing first base for the Brewers’ 5-4 win over the Reds on June 2, 2023. Ruf was chasing a foul ball when his knee hit the end of the tarp roller.
“This didn’t need to happen,” Ruf said in a statement. “I wish it didn’t happen. Players shouldn’t have to worry about hidden hazards like that on a major league field.”
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday Thursday in the Hamilton County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas. Per the complaint, Ruf suffered “permanent and substantial deformities to his knee.” Ruf went on the 60-day injured list and never played in the major leagues again.
Ruf split the 2023 season, the last of his career, between Milwaukee and the San Francisco Giants, were he had also spent the 2020-2022 seasons. His time in San Francisco was broken up by a stint in New York in the second half of the 2022 season when the Giants traded him to the Mets in exchange for J. D. Davis,Carson Seymour, Nick Zwack and Thomas Szapucki.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Bridget Hyland may be reached at bhyland@njadvancemedia.com.