Rays' Ruggiano trying to stay positive, patient

Justin Ruggiano was the guy in queue, and he was doing a pretty good job there.

As the Rays' top veteran corner outfielder at Triple-A Durham the past few years, he stayed ready, knowing he was a sprained ankle away from a call-up.

And then in February, Ruggiano went from expecting to compete for a fourth outfielder job after Carl Crawford's departure to being dropped from the 40-man roster when the Rays had to create spots for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez.

He cleared waivers and is back at spring training, but the 28-year-old Texan - a .294 hitter in seven minor-league seasons who has played some nice defense during his brief stints in the majors - admits he's frustrated.

"If I do go back to Durham, it will be my fifth year there," Ruggiano said Sunday. "I don't know if there's any other player who has spent five consecutive years in Triple-A with the same organization."

Suddenly, the Rays are pretty well stocked in the outfield behind their projected starters and platoon players. Desmond Jennings, 24, stole 37 bases last year at Durham while hitting .278 and is getting closer. And the Rays added Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer from the Cubs organization.

Add to that the fact the Rays favor having utility players on the bench, and Ruggiano's odds of making the 25-man Opening Day roster look long. But manager Joe Maddon doesn't rule it out.

"Things may have to happen for him to be in line for that particular moment right now," he said. "But he's going about his business properly. We watch him all the time. It's just that we have it stacked a little differently right now, but that's not to say he can't break through."

Ruggiano joined the Rays organization in 2006 in a trade that also brought catcher Dioner Navarro and sent pitcher Mark Hendrickson and catcher Toby Hall to the Dodgers.

His biggest moment for the Rays was a leaping catch in left field for the last out to preserve a 1-0 win over Toronto on Aug. 27, 2008, when the Rays were making their pennant push and led the Red Sox by 31/2 games.

He appeared in 43 games that year for Tampa Bay, including 14 starts at all three outfield positions, but hit only .197 with two home runs and seven RBIs. At Durham the same season, he hit .315 with 11 home runs and 51 RBIs.

Ruggiano looked like he might make a push last season when, after playing winter ball in Venezuela, he hit .447 during spring training and tied the club's spring record with three triples.

But Ruggiano didn't make the team and spent another full season at Durham, where he hit .287 with 15 home runs and 24 stolen bases with a .453 on-base percentage.

"A guy like Justin doesn't have anything else to prove at the Triple-A level," Maddon said. "He's hit well there, he's played great defense. For a guy like that to go back and forth and keep riding this emotional roller coaster is not easy. But you admire and respect the guys who do that, waiting for their time."

The Rays have given Ruggiano things to work on offensively, primarily with his situational hitting and cutting down on his strikeouts (a total of 276 in 2009 and 2010).

"I don't think the club has ever disregarded my defense," Ruggiano said. "I think they enjoy what I do defensively. It's more of me convincing them I can perform offensively, as well, which I feel like I can.

"I feel like I'm ready. I feel like I've come a long way since my ups and downs of '08 ... brief stints in the majors. And I think I've matured a lot as a player. So I'm just waiting for my chance, waiting for another shot, and that's what I'll continue to do."

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