Justin Ruggiano’s ‘dream month’ with Dodgers continues

Once Justin Ruggiano started talking, he couldn’t stop smiling.

Back in August, the 33-year-old journeyman outfielder was playing for the Seattle Mariners’ triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. As he spoke Thursday, he was about to be officially named to his first postseason roster.

“It’s special,” Ruggiano said. “It’s really special. These kinds of things don’t happen every day.”

Ruggiano played for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, when they won the American League East. He didn’t make their postseason roster, instead working out at the team’s spring-training facility in Florida in case he was needed as an injury replacement.

He was also on a Rays team that reached the playoffs in 2011. Again, he didn’t make the postseason roster.

He bounced around after that, making stops with the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs and Mariners.

He started this season with the Mariners, only to be sent down to triple A.

Ruggiano laughed when asked if he could have envisioned how the remainder of his season would unfold.

“How?” he asked. “How would I have seen this happen? I mean, come on. I’m in Tacoma, I have the worst travel schedule I’ve ever had in my whole life, my back hurt on the buses, my back hurt on the planes. I get off at 12 o’clock, play a game, could hardly open my eyes because I haven’t slept.”

What followed was what Ruggiano described as a “dream month.”

The Dodgers acquired Ruggiano on Aug. 31 and immediately added him to their major league roster.

Playing most against left-handed pitchers, the right-handed-hitting Ruggiano went on to bat .291 with four home runs and 12 runs batted in in 21 games with the Dodgers.

“There’s no way I could foresee this happening,” he said.

Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford, who played with Ruggiano in Tampa Bay, was delighted for his former and current teammate.

“He’s been around and he’s been working hard to get to this point,” Crawford said. “He’s been doing a lot of hard work underneath the surface. For him to get an opportunity like this is good.”

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez