Rays' Amed Rosario: Doubles, triples, drives in three
Rotowire
Rosario went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three RBI and a run scored during Monday's win over the Red Sox.
Rosario's two-out, two-run triple in the first put the Rays on the board while his run-scoring double in the eighth provided the Rays with their final margin of victory. Rosario has found a regular role as the top utility man for Tampa, batting .296 with a .312 on-base percentage, six doubles, three triples, two homers, 18 RBI, 12 runs and five stolen bases over 138 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Jason Adam: Grabs third save
Rotowire
Adam tossed one scoreless inning to pick up the save Monday against the Red Sox. He walked one and struck out three.
With Pete Fairbanks unavailable due to a cut on his throwing hand, Adam was called upon Monday to close the door for his third save. Adam, who served as the Rays' main end-game option while Fairbanks was on the shelf prior to his return on May 11, will likely remain the preferred option until Fairbanks is ready to return from his most recent setback.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Zach Eflin: Earns third win
Rotowire
Eflin (3-4) earned the win Monday, allowing three runs on six hits while not walking a batter over five innings against the Red Sox. He struck out two.
Eflin was able to grind through five innings, tossing 91 pitches to earn the win for the second-consecutive start. After being staked with a three-run lead before ever taking the hill, Eflin allowed a three-run homer to Tyler O'Neill in the bottom of the first that tied the score. Despite the elevated pitch count through five, Eflin managed to keep the Red Sox off the board throughout the remainder of his start and did not allow a free pass in the process. Eflin will carry a 3.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP into his next start, tentatively slated to take place over the weekend when the Rays travel to Toronto for a three-game set against the division-rival Blue Jays.
Rays' Pete Fairbanks: Dealing with cut on throwing hand
Rotowire
Fairbanks was unavailable to pitch Monday night against the Red Sox due to a cut on his right index finger, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Manager Kevin Cash is hopeful Fairbanks will be available out of the bullpen for Tuesday's matchup. Jason Adam handled the closer duties Monday and could be called upon again Tuesday if Fairbanks can't go.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Shane Baz: Lacks control in second rehab start
Rotowire
Baz (elbow/oblique) worked 1.2 innings and struck out one while allowing three earned runs on one hit and five walks Friday in his second rehab start with Triple-A Durham.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Baz's control has been spotty in his first two rehab starts in his first game action since July 2022 following a prolonged recovery from Tommy John surgery and two minor setbacks with his oblique. After working three innings and spotting 22 of his 39 pitches for strikes in his start with Durham on May 4, Baz found the strike zone on just 29 of his 59 pitches Friday and also hit a batter in addition to issuing five free passes. The fact that Baz was able to increase his pitch count was a positive takeaway, but he'll still need to improve his efficiency as he continues his buildup process in the minors. Baz will presumably need at least two more rehab starts before he returns from the 15-day injured list and makes his 2024 debut with the Rays.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Seeing specialist Tuesday
Rotowire
Lowe said following his rehab game Sunday with Triple-A Durham that he felt "something" in his right oblique and he will visit a specialist Tuesday in Nashville, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Lowe started at second base with Durham on Sunday, going 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and striking out three times. The 29-year-old has gone 3-for-10 with two home runs and three walks over his four rehab games and appeared to be on the cusp of a return from the 10-day injured list, but his activation will be delayed while he consults with a specialist after possibly aggravating the oblique injury. Richie Palacios and Amed Rosario are expected to continue operating in a platoon at second base until Lowe is deemed ready to join the big club.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Left out of lineup Monday
Rotowire
DeLuca is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
DeLuca will take a seat for the first time since returning from the 10-day injured list May 3 and making his Rays and season debuts. He had been projected to fill a short-side platoon role for Tampa Bay, but DeLuca now appears poised to handle a near-everyday role after beginning his Rays tenure with a .286/.394/.536 slash line through his first nine games. DeLuca will cede his spot in the outfield to Jose Siri on Monday, however.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Ben Rortvedt: Hitting bench Monday
Rotowire
Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Alex Jackson will handle the catching duties for the Rays on Monday, but Rortvedt still appears to be the team's No. 1 backstop, despite having now started in just one of the team's last five games. The lefty-hitting Rortvedt should see the bulk of the starts against right-handed pitching, while the right-handed-hitting Jackson likely represents the top choice to catch when the Rays oppose lefties.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Isaac Paredes: Sitting out series opener
Rotowire
Paredes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Paredes was hit in the helmet by a pitch in the seventh inning of Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Yankees, but he stayed in the game after being checked out. His absence from the lineup a day later may create some level of concern about his health, but Paredes could just be receiving a maintenance day after he had started in each of the Rays' last nine games. Amed Rosario will replace Paredes at the hot corner Monday, and for now, the expectation is that Paredes will be back in the lineup Tuesday.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Jose Siri: Pops grand slam
Rotowire
Siri went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Yankees.
Siri has been in and out of the Rays' lineup since both Jonny DeLuca and Josh Lowe have been activated from the injured list. While Siri has started five of the team's last eight games, the majority of his playing time moving forward is likely to come against lefties in favor of the lefty-hitting Lowe. He slugged a timely home run Sunday, though that was his first hit across 17 plate appearances in May.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Josh Lowe: Hits in four of five games
Rotowire
Lowe went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk Sunday against the Yankees.
Lowe has appeared in five games since returning from an oblique and hamstring injury, and he's reached base in all four of his starts. He's hit either second or third in the Rays' lineup, though he did sit in the team's only game against a lefty since he was activated.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Yandy Diaz: Continues hot stretch
Rotowire
Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Sunday against the Yankees.
Diaz launched his second homer in as many games and his third of the season. He has turned his results around in May, as he's maintained a .333 average with eight RBI and eight runs scored across 10 games. Diaz remains locked in as the Rays' leadoff hitter and should be a strong source of batting average and runs scored moving forward.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Tyler Alexander: Knocked around by Yankees
Rotowire
Alexander (1-2) yielded six runs on seven hits and two walks over seven innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Yankees.
Alexander was taken deep three times Sunday, including a pair of two-run shots from Jose Trevino and Aaron Judge. Alexander had given up just two home runs over his previous five appearances before Sunday. Despite the poor final line, it was his longest outing of the year. He owns a 5.45 ERA with a 33:12 K:BB through 39.2 frames. Alexander's next start is lined up to be in Toronto.
Double-A Montgomery reinstated Reifert (undisclosed) from its 7-day injured list Sunday. He struck out one and allowed one hit over a scoreless inning in Montgomery's 7-0 win over Biloxi.
Reifert was on the shelf for about a month with the unspecified injury. The right-hander has yet to allow a run over four appearances on the season and has struck out six batters while giving up two hits and zero walks over four innings.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Mason Auer: Returns from IL
Rotowire
Double-A Montgomery reinstated Auer (undisclosed) from its 7-day injured list Thursday.
Auer has gone 2-for-15 with an RBI and a stolen base in three games for Montgomery since completing a two-game rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League earlier this week. He was out of action at Montgomery for about two weeks due to the unspecified injury.
Lowe (oblique) is in the lineup at second base for Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Lowe began his rehab assignment Tuesday and has gone 2-for-5 with three walks, one home run and four RBI over three games. He was pulled from Durham's game Friday for precautionary reasons, but the 29-year-old is back in action Sunday. Lowe appeared in eight games for the Rays before landing on the 10-day IL on April 12.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Alex Jackson: Returning to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Jackson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jackson had started behind the plate in each of the past three games, but he struck out in all six of his at-bats during that stretch while drawing a walk in his lone other plate appearance. One of his starts came against a lefty and another came versus a righty (Chris Flexen) with reverse splits, so the right-handed-hitting Jackson still looks to be in the short side of a platoon at catcher with the lefty-hitting Ben Rortvedt, who rejoins the lineup Sunday.
