Dodgers acquire Carlos Ruiz from Phillies

The Dodgers have acquired catcher Carlos Ruiz and cash from the Phillies for catcher A.J. Ellis, right-hander Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later, as first reported by Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The teams have announced the trade.

Philadelphia has been shopping Ruiz and fellow veteran Ryan Howard in recent days after both players cleared revocable trade waivers. Ruiz will serve as a backup to Yasmani Grandal for the Dodgers, replacing Ellis.

Ruiz joins Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Cole Hamels as key veterans from the Phillies’ 2008 World Series championship team to be traded by the team in recent years. Victorino, Utley and Rollins were also dealt to the Dodgers.

Ruiz, 37, is under team control for next season as the result of a $4.5 million option (or $500K buyout), though it is currently unclear if the Dodgers will keep him past the end of this year. Ruiz has hit .261/.368/.352 with three homers in his 11th season with Philadelphia.

Ellis, 35, has been with the Dodgers since 2008 and has hit just .194/.285/.252 this season while serving as Clayton Kershaw’s personal catcher. He is a free agent after this season, so Los Angeles could obviously look to re-sign him if they decide to decline Ruiz’s option.

Bergjans, 23, was the Dodgers’ 8th-round pick last season out of Penn and has posted a 4.98 ERA in 24 appearances (21 starts) for High-A Rancho Cucamonga so far this season. He was not ranked among Los Angeles’ top 30 prospects at the time of the deal, according to MLB.com.