Dodgers land Ruiz from Phils for ‘shocked’ Ellis

LOS ANGELES — If you know anything about the bond between Clayton Kershaw and A.J. Ellis, their reaction when Ellis was traded to the Phillies on Thursday was predictable.

“Shocked. Quiet,” Ellis said, describing his friend and batterymate’s reaction when they met in the dugout. “The shock kind of hit us both simultaneously and we both cried.”

Ellis, 35, was dealt with Minor League pitcher Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later or cash considerations for catcher Carlos Ruiz. The Dodgers apparently view Ruiz as an offensive upgrade from Ellis when facing left-handed pitching.

Ruiz has an .830 OPS in 24 games against lefties this year, while Ellis has a .616 OPS in 29 games against left-handers. And at Triple-A is Austin Barnes, the Dodgers’ 10th-ranked prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, who was acquired from Miami in the Dee Gordon trade.

After learning of his fate, Ellis said his goodbyes to teammates and staff, then shared his emotions with the media before joining his new team.

“Baseball’s funny, anything can happen in the future, but to know that almost in all likelihood I’ll never get to catch [Kershaw] again …

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