Dodgers trade outfielder Esteury Ruiz to Marlins

The Dodgers are trading outfielder Esteury Ruiz to the Miami Marlins for minor-league pitcher Adriano Marrero, according to multiple reports.

The speedy Ruiz played 19 games for the Dodgers after being acquired in an April trade. He was primarily a defensive replacement or pinch-runner, hitting .190 (4 for 21) with four stolen bases. He provided some insurance while the team dealt with injuries to Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman last season, but he wasn’t expected to factor into the team’s plans for 2026.

A former top prospect, Ruiz has appeared in 197 major-league games across four seasons with the Dodgers, the then-Oakland A’s, the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 26-year-old led the American League with 67 stolen bases for Oakland in 2023, his only full season in the major leagues. He has been traded five times since signing as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

Ruiz has a .241 career batting average with a .296 on-base percentage and a .343 slugging percentage with 27 doubles, 59 RBIs and 77 stolen bases. He has struggled defensively while primarily playing center field and missed most of the 2024 season due to knee surgery.

The right-handed Marrero, an 18-year-old from Cuba, pitched 33 innings across 10 starts for the Marlins’ Dominican Summer League team in 2025, posting a 3.82 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, scouting reports indicate he has a fastball that has reached 94 miles per hour and has good movement on all of his pitches (sweeper, changeup).

Ruiz’s departure opens a spot on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.