Former MLB player Darin Ruf saw his career tragically curtailed after a knee injury incurred at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park in 2023. Two years on, Ruf is suing the Cincinnati Reds due to unsafe field conditions.

On June 2, 2023, Ruf collided with an unpadded, metal tarp roller, marking the end of his major-league career. He made a brief return in Triple-A, participating in seven games before ultimately retiring professionally.

Ruf’s lawsuit claims the Reds exhibited negligence by not maintaining safe field conditions, highlighting ‘reckless’ behavior from the grounds crew for improperly storing the tarp.

“This didn’t need to happen,” Ruf expressed in a statement via AP. “I wish it didn’t happen. Players shouldn’t have to worry about hidden hazards like that on a major league field.”

Ruf alleges to have suffered “permanent and substantial deformities to his knee.”

Tad Thomas, Ruf’s attorney, remarked, “This was an obvious and avoidable risk. There are basic safety protocols every MLB team should follow. Leaving an unpadded metal roller on the edge of the field is inexcusable.”

Ruf played parts of nine seasons in MLB, featuring for the Phillies, Giants, Mets, and Brewers. At 38, he was a 20th-round draft pick from Creighton University and appeared in 581 regular-season games, including a memorable home run in Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS for the Giants, constituting their sole run in that elimination game.