Minor League home run champ Ruf to be called up

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies will select the contract of Double-A Reading's Darin Ruf on Monday, the club announced Sunday night. To make room for Ruf on the 40-man roster, reliever Michael Stutes will be moved from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

Ruf, 26, led the Minor Leagues with 38 regular-season home runs this season, including a whopping 20 in August, and hit .317 with an Eastern League-leading 104 RBIs. His home run numbers broke Reading's single-season record of 37, set by current Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.

Primarily a first baseman, the Phillies had been trying Ruf in left field to try to find a position for him at the Major League level. He is set to play more left field during winter ball in Venezuela. But now, with Reading's playoff run over, Ruf will get a big league audition over Philadelphia's final 22 games.

"They found a place for [Harmon] Killebrew," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said on Saturday. "They found a place for Babe Ruth. Yeah, we can find a place for you. We'll find a place for him if he can hit."