Rays Acquire Wyatt Mathisen From Diamondbacks

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.