Phillies place Mayberry on DL, call up Ruf

If the Phillies were hoping to trade John Mayberry Jr., it just got a lot tougher to do.

According to Jim Salisbury of Comcast Sports Network Philly, the Philadelphia Phillies have placed  Mayberry on the disabled list with left wrist inflammation. Darin Ruf was called up to replace Mayberry on the roster, but was not in the lineup Tuesday versus the San Francisco Giants.

Mayberry was hitting .213 with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs in 63 games before being sidelined.

Ruf hit .265 with 1 home run and 10 RBIs with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season.  Ruf was with the club earlier this season, but had to be sent down again to add another reliever to the bullpen.  Initially he was expected to spent a short amount of time in the minors and then he would rejoin the Phillies.  Instead, he suffered a wrist fracture after being sent down when he ran into a wall while playing outfield.

Salisbury got news first that Ruf was in the Phillies clubhouse, which sent questions as to whether or not Mayberry had been traded.  It has been rumored that Mayberry could be involved in some sort of trade and it appears a lot of Phillies are available for the right deals.  Ultimately it can be a good opportunity for Ruf to prove his worth.  Phillies brass believe he can be a nice addition, but the move also keeps Mayberry off the trade block.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has been open about giving younger players more time on the field and Ruf fits the bill.  He could start Wednesday with the lefty Madison Bumgarner getting the ball for the Giants.

It will be interesting to see how much playing time Ruf receives, and if the Phillies will eventually platoon him with struggling Ryan Howard at first base.