Esteury Ruiz makes successful MLB debut with Padres

The San Diego Padres called up Esteury Ruiz from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday night for his MLB debut.

Ruiz hit eighth in the lineup as the starting centerfielder. He had two hits and one RBI in four at-bats. He also tried to steal third base but was caught.

This season in Triple-A, he’s stolen 60 bases total and has only been caught nine times. He’s also hitting extremely well at .333/.467/.560 for an OPS of 1.027. He was moved up from Double-A to Triple-A and the higher level is seemingly not holding him back.

Based on his MLB debut Tuesday, being in the majors may not hold him back much either.

Padres outfielder Esteury Ruiz could become one of the best hitters in San Diego

Ruiz is entering a team that lacks offensive power and consistency in the lineup. Given his consistent success and improvement in the minors and a good performance in his debut in the majors, he’s an intriguing player to keep an eye on.

If his minor league numbers were repeated in MLB, he’d have the best numbers on the Padres. However, considering the tougher competition that’s a little bit much to expect.

Despite what may happen in Ruiz’s future, he was seemingly just thankful to play in the majors.

“It’s a dream come true. Obviously, it’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I was a young kid. Getting this opportunity for my first callup — it’s a very exciting moment.” -Esteury Ruiz, via MLB.com