DeLuca is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Athletics, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
DeLuca had started against right-handed pitchers in each of the last four games, but he went just 1-for-14 with one walk against five strikeouts during that stretch. He'll now take a seat Wednesday against Athletics righty Joey Estes and could see most of his opportunities versus left-handed pitching moving forward while Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri and Richie Palacios form the Rays' preferred outfield trio versus righties.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
DeLuca is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Red Sox.
DeLuca's playing time has been difficult to predict. He's on the bench for a second straight game, after he had started each of the previous four contests. The Rays are going with Josh Lowe in center field Wednesday, while Richie Palacios will get the nod in right field.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Idle Tuesday
Rotowire
DeLuca is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.
DeLuca has been splitting work with Jose Siri in center field throughout May, and after going 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in his last two games, DeLuca will yield to Siri on Tuesday.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Showing off speed
Rotowire
DeLuca went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a stolen base Sunday against the Blue Jays.
DeLuca started his third straight game, two of which have come in center field in place of Jose Siri. He made the case to maintain consistent playing time over the Rays' weekend series, homering on Saturday while also collecting two steals across the three games. For now, he appears to be in a rotation for two outfield spots with Siri and Josh Lowe, but DeLuca could ultimately overtake Siri if his defense proves to be good enough in center field.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Leads comeback win
Rotowire
DeLuca went 1-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jays.
After drawing a walk and coming around to score in the sixth inning as part of a three-run rally that got the Rays on the board, DeLuca turned on a 97.3 mph fastball from Nate Pearson in the eighth inning and launched it over the left-field fence for the game-winning hit. DeLuca has begun to see his playing time slip as Tampa Bay's roster has gotten healthier, but through 15 games this season he still sports a .300/.404/.550 slash line with two homers, three steals, six runs and 12 RBI.
DeLuca is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Boston.
It marks the third time in four games that DeLuca will be on the bench. This is after he had started the previous nine contests in a row. The recent returns of Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda have impacted DeLuca's playing time, and the Rays also could be re-committing to Jose Siri in handing him five starts across the last six tilts.
DeLuca is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
For the second time in three games, the right-handed-hitting DeLuca finds himself on the bench against a right-handed starting pitcher (Tanner Houck). Upon returning from the injured list May 3, DeLuca had started in nine consecutive games, but he looks like he could move into more of a short-side platoon role now that the Rays are starting to get healthier. Two left-handed hitters in Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda both recently returned from the injured list, and the Rays could get another in Brandon Lowe back before the end of May.
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.
DeLuca will start in right field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Since being activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, DeLuca has started in each of the Rays' ensuing six games while going 7-for-18 with three extra-base hits (one home run, one triple and one double), 10 RBI, three runs and two stolen bases. Tampa Bay is back to full strength in its outfield with Jose Siri recently returning from a two-game suspension and Josh Lowe coming off the IL on Monday, but DeLuca hasn't given any reason for manager Kevin Cash to take him out of the lineup just yet. Over the long haul, the right-handed-hitting DeLuca could settle into a short-side platoon role, but expect him to continue playing at least semi-regularly until his bat cools.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Smacks first homer
Rotowire
DeLuca went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Monday's win over the White Sox.
DeLuca opened the game's scoring with a two-RBI single off Mike Clevinger in the second inning. However, the outfielder's evening wasn't over as he launched a 401-foot, two-run homer later in the game for his first as a Ray. DeLuca has enjoyed a hot start to his time in Tampa Bay, hitting .333 (5-for-15) with 10 RBI in 16 plate appearances since being activated from the injured list May 3.
DeLuca went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI triple, an additional run scored and an additional RBI during Sunday's 7-6 win over the Mets in 10 innings.
DeLuca delivered in the 10th inning, notching his first career triple and plating Jose Caballero and Ben Rortvedt to secure a Rays victory. In three games since being reinstated from the 10-day IL, DeLuca is 3-for-11 (.273) with six RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases.
