Rays Rumors

AL East Notes: Wander, Odor, Arroyo, Hernandez

By Mark Polishuk and TC Zencka | May 17, 2021 at 1:23pm CDT

Wander Franco has performed well in his first 52 plate appearances at Triple-A, posting a .348/.404/.652 slash line that befits his status as baseball’s top prospect. However, it doesn’t appear likely that Franco will get a quick promotion to the big leagues, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The Rays aren’t likely to rush a 20-year-old who is only now getting his first taste of the pros beyond the A-ball level, and naturally, some payroll considerations are likely at play — delaying Franco’s debut until at least late June would probably keep him from reaching Super Two status. A pre-career contract extension would address that concern, but Topkin doesn’t see such a deal as very likely.

Beyond just the financial aspects, the Rays don’t want to make a development misstep with a prospect who represents such a major part of their future. “The team wants “to be ’more’ sure a player is ready, and avoiding the confidence crusher of sending him back. Also, they definitely want to avoid putting a young player in a role of being cast as a ’savior’ as Franco might be if the Rays offense still was struggling when he was summoned,” Topkin writes. This doesn’t mean that Tampa Bay wouldn’t turn to its farm system in the event of a sudden need, of course, but Topkin feels that Vidal Brujan or Taylor Walls (notable prospects in their own right) would get the call ahead of Franco since Brujan and Walls are both a few years older, and also already on the 40-man roster.

Rays Acquire Wyatt Mathisen From Diamondbacks

By Mark Polishuk | May 16, 2021 at 5:06pm CDT

The Rays have acquired utilityman Wyatt Mathisen from the Diamondbacks, with cash considerations heading back Arizona’s way. Mathisen was designated for assignment by the D’Backs earlier this week, and he will report to Tampa Bay’s Triple-A affiliate.

The 29-year-old Mathisen made his MLB debut last season with Arizona, and over 32 games and 84 plate appearances in 2020-21, Mathisen has hit .159/.298/.290. He has also seen time at both corner infield positions and in left field.

Third base has been Mathisen’s primary position over 649 games in his minor league career. Initially breaking into the pros as a catcher when he was a second-round pick for the Pirates in the 2012 draft, Mathisen hasn’t been behind the plate since 2013, moving on to play mostly third base but also a lot of time at first and second. The outfield work is a relatively new part of his defensive arsenal, as Mathisen hadn’t played outside the infield until 2019.

With a .272/.360/.396 slash line over 2507 PA in the minors, Mathisen has shown some decent on-base skill, and he’ll add yet another multi-position weapon to the Rays’ stash of versatile players. Yandy Diaz, Mike Brosseau, and Kevin Padlo are all on the big league roster and are all right-handed hitters who can play corner infield roles, so Mathisen may have to wait until circumstances change for his next call-up to the Show.

Rays Activate Francisco Mejia, Designate Kevan Smith

By Anthony Franco | May 16, 2021 at 10:02am CDT

The Rays are reinstating catcher Francisco Mejía from the 10-day injured list, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was among those to pass along (Twitter link). Fellow backstop Kevan Smith was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Mejía went on the IL last week with left intercostal discomfort. It proved to be a minimal stay, as he returns ten days later to again pair with Mike Zunino behind the plate. Acquired from the Padres over the winter as part of the Blake Snell return, Mejía has gotten off to a fine start with his new team. Over his first 67 plate appearances, the switch-hitter has slashed .300/.348/.450 with a home run. That’s a rather significant improvement over the .225/.282/.386 mark he carried as a big leaguer entering 2021.

Obviously, Mejía will need more than a month of strong performance to cement himself as a foundational piece for the Rays, but he certainly carries the pedigree to do so. Mejía was once regarded among the top prospects in baseball as a potentially impactful bat-first catcher. He’s still just 25 years old and making contact at a career-best clip so far, although he hasn’t tamped down the overaggressive approach that contributed to his prior big league struggles.

With Mejía and Zunino healthy, the Rays determined there wasn’t place on the active roster for Smith, who is out of minor league option years. The 32-year-old was selected to the roster when Mejía went on the IL and only picked up five plate appearances over the past week-plus. The Rays now have a week to trade or waive Smith, who has been in the Tampa Bay organization over the past two seasons. Having previously been outrighted in his career, Smith would have the right to elect free agency in lieu of a minor league assignment if he clears waivers.

Dodgers Acquire Yoshi Tsutsugo From Rays

By Mark Polishuk | May 15, 2021 at 9:05pm CDT

The Dodgers have acquired infielder Yoshi Tsutsugo from the Rays in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Infielder Edwin Rios was moved to the 60-day injured list to create roster space for Tsutsugo.

The Rays designated Tsutsugo for assignment last Tuesday, and today’s trade closes the book on an overall disappointing 18-month tenure for Tsutsugo in Tampa Bay. Signed to a two-year, $12MM free agent deal in the 2019-20 offseason, Tsutsugo hit .197/.314/.395 over 185 plate appearances last season, and had only two hits over 16 PA during Tampa’s postseason run. The 29-year-old followed that rookie season up with a rough .167/.244/.218 slash line in 87 PA this season, which prompted the Rays to send Tsutsugo to the DFA wire.

Tsutsugo is still owed roughly $5.49MM of his original $7MM salary for the 2021 season, and according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), the Dodgers will cover slightly more than $430K — the prorated share of the minimum salary. This means the Rays will eat the roughly $5MM remaining of Tsutsugo’s salary, making his contract a fairly costly mistake considering the team’s low spending habts.

After years of big numbers with NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars, Tsutsugo drew plenty of attention when he was posted by the BayStars in the winter of 2019-20. The Dodgers weren’t one of the teams known to have interest in Tsutsugo’s services, but their interest could have been piqued given their current needs.

Tsutsugo has played third base, first base, and left field for Tampa Bay, so he fits the Dodgers’ preferred model as a multi-position player (the team’s signing of Albert Pujols notwithstanding). While L.A. already has a number of left-handed hitting options, Tsutsugo is something of a more experienced option due to his time in Japan, even if he has relatively little time in Major League Baseball. Tsutsugo could be seen as something of a straight replacement for Rios, another lefty bat with corner infield and corner outfield experience. Rios will miss the remainder of the season due to surgery on his right shoulder.

Injury Updates: Yelich, Choi, Dickerson, Solano, Yaz, Smeltzer

By Mark Polishuk | May 15, 2021 at 6:56pm CDT

Christian Yelich began a Triple-A rehab assignment yesterday, playing three innings in left field and receiving two plate appearances. Back problems have led to two separate injured-list placements for Yelich this season, and limited him to only 10 games and 41 PA for the Brewers. It isn’t yet clear how long Yelich’s rehab assignment will last before he rejoins the Brew Crew, though manager Craig Counsell is hopeful “we’re in a really good place right now” in terms of getting Yelich fully recovered.

“We’re hoping we’ve turned the corner here,” Counsell told MLB.com’s Sterling Bright and other reporters. “These are all little signs, and the most important thing we’re going to find out is [how he feels] after the game, and when he wakes up in the morning, and as we kind of move forward here playing back-to-back, and things like that.”

More on other injury situations from around baseball…

Ji-Man Choi was activated from the 10-day injured list today, though the first baseman didn’t make an appearance in the Rays’ 12-5 victory over the Mets. Choi underwent arthroscopic knee surgery just prior to Opening Day and thus has yet to make his 2021 debut. Choi (who celebrates his 30th birthday on Wednesday) has hit a cool .257/.359/.461 with 30 home runs over 821 PA since being acquired by Tampa Bay in July 2018. Now that he is healthy, Choi is expected to assume his usual role as Tampa’s primary first base/DH option against right-handed pitching, with Yandy Diaz taking over against left-handed pitchers.
The Giants could soon be getting some reinforcements from the IL, as manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including The San Francisco Chronicle’s Steve Kroner) that Alex Dickerson is within a few days of returning. Dickerson was placed on the 10-day IL on May 7 due to a right shoulder impingement, so Sunday is the earliest the outfielder could return to action. Donovan Solano is also slated to play five innings as part of a Triple-A rehab assignment today, as the infielder is working his way back from a right calf strain that sidelined him on April 21.
Mike Yastrzemski isn’t in today’s Giants lineup, as Kapler said the outfielder’s left side is “pretty sore” after colliding with the outfield wall in pursuit of an Adam Frazier triple in yesterday’s game. Kapler didn’t think the injury was particularly serious, though Yastrzemski has already missed some time this season due to a minor oblique strain in his left side. After a slow start to the season, Yastrzemski’s bat is beginning to heat up, and he is up to a .216/.316/.461 slash line (111 OPS+, 118 OPS+) through 117 plate appearances.
Twins left-hander Devin Smeltzer hit the 10-day IL Wednesday due to left elbow inflammation, and it will be “a matter of weeks” before Smeltzer is ready to return, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Tests on Smeltzer’s elbow revealed no ligament issues but some nerve irritation. Baldelli said there hadn’t yet been any discussion about moving Smeltzer to the 60-day IL, which would keep the southpaw out of action until after the All-Star break. Smeltzer has spent most of the last three seasons being shuttled back and forth between the Twins’ roster and either their Triple-A team or alternate training site. He has appeared in only one game for Minnesota this season, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a 6-2 loss to the Pirates back on April 24.

Angels Acquire Hunter Strickland

By Connor Byrne | May 15, 2021 at 11:07am CDT

The Rays have traded right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland to the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Tampa Bay will receive cash considerations or a player to be named later in return, per an announcement from the Angels.

The 32-year-old Strickland joined the Rays on a minor league contract over the winter, and he wound up holding his own during his short stint with the club after it promoted him in early April. Strickland bounced back from a rough two years divided among the Mariners, Nationals and Mets to log a meager 1.69 ERA (with a less spectacular 3.76 SIERA) across 16 innings and post a 24.2 percent strikeout rate against a 9.1 percent walk rate as a Ray.

Strickland will now return to California, where he spent the first five years of his career in San Francisco. Over 226 frames as a Giant from 2014-18, Strickland recorded a 2.91 ERA/3.80 SIERA with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate and an 8.4 percent walk rate. Production along those lines (or the type of numbers he put up as a Ray) would be welcome for the Angels, whose bullpen has struggled mightily during their 16-21 start. Angels relievers own both the majors’ fourth-worst ERA (5.32) and K-BB percentage (10.7).

Rays Designate Yoshi Tsutsugo For Assignment

By Steve Adams | May 11, 2021 at 2:01pm CDT

The Rays announced Tuesday that they’ve designated struggling first baseman/outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo for assignment. He’s in the second season of a two-year, $12MM contract that represented a relatively sizable investment for the cost-conscious Rays. They’ll now have a week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. Corner infielder Kevin Padlo is up from Triple-A Durham in his place.

Tsutsugo, 29, was a prominent slugger with the Yokohama DeNa BayStars in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, batting .285/.382/.528 in parts of 10 seasons — including a .293/.402/.574 slash with 139 home runs in the four years leading up to his free agency.

He struggled in 2020 with the Rays but at least showed off some of that power, slugging eight long balls, five doubles and a triple in 185 trips to the plate last summer. That power has completely evaporated in 2021, however, as Tsutsugo has just four doubles and no home runs through his first 87 plate appearances.

Overall, Tsutsugo has come to the plate 272 times as a member of the Rays and managed only a .187/.292/.336 batting line with a 28.3 percent strikeout rate. To his credit, he’s walked at a hearty 12.5 percent clip, but that keen eye hasn’t helped him to tap into the obvious power that helped make him a star in Japan. With Ji-Man Choi nearing a return from the injured list and Tsutsugo’s struggles persisting, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wrote yesterday that a touch decision on Tsutsugo seemed virtually “inevitable.”

It’s unlikely that the Rays will find a taker for Tsutsugo’s salary — he’s still owed $5.46MM through season’s end — though they could always try to orchestrate some kind of swap involving another bad contract. Such deals are tough to put together in a short window during the season, making it likelier that he’ll be placed on waivers or simply released.

AL Notes: Tsutsugo, Rangers, Willman, Red Sox

By Connor Byrne | May 10, 2021 at 10:20pm CDT

It “seems inevitable” that Rays infielder/outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo will lose his roster spot in the near future, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times observes. Although the Rays made a fairly expensive commitment to Tsutsugo prior to 2020, the former Nippon Professional Baseball standout hasn’t lived up to a two-year, $12MM guarantee. This season has been especially rough for the 29-year-old, who has batted a miserable .167/.244/.218 with zero home runs in 87 plate appearances. The Rays still owe Tsutsugo around $5.5MM, Topkin points out, but may decide to move on anyway. Tsutsugo could stay in the organization if they send him down, but he has an assignment clause in his contract and would have to sign off on a demotion. Otherwise, Tsutsugo could collect the remaining money he’s due and try his luck in free agency again.

The Rangers announced that they have hired Baseball Savant creator Daren Willman as their Senior Director, Research & Development/Applications for Baseball Operations. Willman, who was the Director of Research & Development for MLB’s Baseball Operations Department, “will be responsible for the development and expansion of the Rangers’ baseball information systems,” the Rangers said. “He will oversee a team of developers in the continued growth and improvement of the organization’s information infrastructure.” Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels stated that he expects Willman to “have a significant impact on our organization.”
The Red Sox own the majors’ best record (22-14) and a three-game lead in the American League East. But even if the Red Sox remain in contention around the July 30 trade deadline, the likelihood is that they’ll avoid farm system-altering deals that hurt them over the long haul, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic suggests (links: 1, 2). Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom hasn’t shown he’s willing to sacrifice future gains for short-term help, which could rule out dealing valuable prospects for certain pending free agents (e.g., Kris Bryant and Max Scherzer), writes McCaffrey.
Having played three rehab games at the High-A level, Red Sox utilityman Danny Santana will make his 2021 Triple-A debut on Tuesday, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe was among those to report. Santana signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox in the offseason, but a foot infection cost him a chance to make their roster during the spring. Assuming Santana doesn’t suffer any setbacks, the Red Sox will have to make a decision on him soon because his deal includes an opt-out clause for this month.

Rays Sign Adam Conley To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2021 at 11:39am CDT

The Rays have signed left-hander Adam Conley to a minor league deal, Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle reports. Conley had previously agreed to join NPB’s Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, but opted out of joining the team earlier this week.

According to a statement from the Eagles (hat tip to reporter Jim Allen), Conley decided against playing in Japan due to concerns over the country’s COVID-19 situation. Due to entry restrictions from the Japanese government, Conley had been unable to even arrive in Japan until late March, and those same restrictions prevented Conley’s family from joining him abroad.

This isn’t the first time that the coronavirus has directly impacted the southpaw’s career, as Conley was one of many Marlins players placed on the COVID-related injured list last summer due to an outbreak within the clubhouse. Conley ended up not pitching at all in 2020, after previously seeing some big league action in each of the previous five seasons.

Initially a promising starter in the Marlins’ rotation in 2015-16, Conley ran into some struggles and then turned to relief pitching, with some success in 2018 and then a rougher experience (6.53 ERA in 60 2/3 innings) in 2019. For his career, Conley has a 4.82 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, and 9.5% walk rate over 414 1/3 innings, all with Miami.

It remains to be seen what role Conley will take with Florida’s other MLB team, though given the Rays’ flexible approach to pitching, Conley could potentially be used in a number of different ways. He could be deployed in a traditional relief role or perhaps stretched out to be given a second look as a starter, or the Rays could use Conley as an opener, a piggyback starter, a long reliever, a swingman, or perhaps all of the above.

Rays Place Kevin Kiermaier On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | May 9, 2021 at 5:08pm CDT

TODAY: Kiermaier was indeed placed on the 10-day injured list prior to today’s game. Right-hander Louis Head was called up from Triple-A to take Kiermaier’s roster spot.

MAY 8: X-rays are negative on Kevin Kiermaier’s left wrist after the outfielder left today’s game due to what the team described as a wrist sprain. The injury occurred when Kiermaier was trying to steal second base in the second inning, and the center fielder looked to be in significant pain after jamming his left arm into the bag.

It seems like another trip to the injured list could be in order for Kiermaier, whose career has been defined by both superb center field defense and (unfortunately) his inability to stay on the field. Kiermaier averaged just 105 games per season from 2016-19 due to a variety of injuries, including a past wrist problem in 2019. A left quad strain already sidelined Kiermaier for 12 days in April, though if there wasn’t any structural damage on his wrist, he could be able to return to action from this latest issue after another relatively short absence.

The Rays already made an IL move prior to today’s game with the Athletics, as catcher Francisco Mejia was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left intercostal discomfort. The injury doesn’t appear to be overly serious, as manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including MLB.com’s Justice delos Santos) that the team’s initial hope was that Mejia would be fine after just a couple of days’ off, but a minimum 10-day absence will give time for Mejia to fully recover.

Given how Mejia has played in his debut season in Tampa, the Rays certainly want the young backstop to be free of any lingering injury. Acquired from the Padres as part of the Blake Snell blockbuster last offseason, Mejia has hit .300/.348/.450 over his first 67 plate appearances for the Rays, helping to bolster a catching spot that has long been a weak link in Tampa Bay’s lineup.

With Mejia out, Mike Zunino will get the bulk of playing time at catcher, while Kevan Smith was added from the taxi squad yesterday when Ryan Yarbrough was temporarily placed on the COVID-19 list. Yarbrough was already reinstated from the COVID-IL today, after recovering from some vaccine side effects.

To create a 40-man roster spot, Chris Archer was shifted from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL as the veteran right-hander continues to recover from forearm tightness. It was roughly two weeks ago that Cash said Archer would need “at least” a couple of more weeks of rehab time, and today’s transaction will push Archer’s return to June at the earliest. [UPDATE: Archer has been away from the team for several weeks due to a personal matter, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Archer’s mother passed away on May 1. MLBTR sends our condolences to Archer and his family.]

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