Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda suffered a broken ring finger while fielding a grounder yesterday and will undergo surgery to place a pin in his finger, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’s expected to miss at least four to six weeks recovering. He’ll open the season on the major league injured list.
It’s an unfortunate setback for the 25-year-old Aranda, who’s torn through minor league pitching at every stop but hasn’t yet had an opportunity to carve out a regular role at the MLB level in a crowded Rays infield. He’d been slated for a largely regular role to begin the year, splitting time between designated hitter and perhaps at first base. He’ll now head to the injured list instead.
Aranda has logged 190 big league plate appearances, but they’ve come in short stints and with sparse playing time. He’s batted just .212/.311/.345 with four homers, an 11.1% walk rate and 28.4% strikeout rate in that time. That output pales in comparison to the production Aranda has turned in as a regular in the minors. He slashed .325/.410/.540 at the Double-A level before crushing Triple-A opponents at a .328/.421/.565 clip in 899 plate appearances over the past two seasons. He’s slugged 43 homers, walked at a 12.1% clip and fanned at a 20.8% clip in that 199-game sample of Triple-A action.
Aranda’s injury will likely open the door for more at-bats for righty-swinging Harold Ramirez and/or fellow right-handed-hitting Curtis Mead. The former has been a plus hitter in two seasons with the Rays, slashing .306/.348/.432 (123 wRC+) in 869 trips to the plate from 2022-23. There was considerable talk of a potential Ramirez trade over the winter, and while nothing can be fully ruled out prior to the season for a Rays club that’s ever-active on the trade market, Ramirez seems quite likely headed for a third straight year with Tampa Bay.
Mead, meanwhile, made his big league debut in 2023 and hit .253/.326/.349 in 92 plate appearances of his own. The 23-year-old Aussie has ranked as one of the game’s top overall prospects for the past couple seasons and carries a stout .296/.385/.520 slash with 13 homers, 29 doubles, a pair of triples, a 12.2% walk rate and an 18% strikeout rate in 377 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s a bat-first prospect who’s spent time at third base, second base and first base, with his bat-to-ball skills and plus raw power standing as his carrying tools. Since both Mead and Ramirez are bat-first players, slotting either into a semi-regular DH role could have some appeal for the Rays — at least until Aranda returns. That could set the stage for a potential DH platoon, while Mead could also platoon with lefty-swinging second baseman Brandon Lowe in the infield as well.
I don’t ever remember so many significant injuries happening during spring training like they have this year.
He was doing well this spring too, that sucks
Rays and HRam have had a successful marriage – both have good jobs, nice place, awesome cars, and everything they touch turns to gold. But despite Ramirez doing nothing but produce there, the Rays remain unhappy in the marriage. “He’s too expensive, his glove is meh, and this relationship is just…..unfulfilling.” That’s fine. HRam is just gonna keep going to work every day and killing it while TB figures out how and when to get rid of him. His ex, CLE, was the same way. He was exactly what they needed, but they couldn’t wait to get rid of him.
If Ramirez had any real power he would be the starting DH on a number of teams. The lack of Home Runs has killed the Rays ability to trade him
Power isn’t the end all be all. There’s a place for singles guys in a manager’s lineup, although I fear it is becoming a lost art.
I wouldn’t call a .432 slg a singles hitter. That looks pretty solid.
For sure. I was just saying in general.
And it benefits the Rays! This team does not hit well and need more offense. They always choose defensive players because they’re cheaper, and guess where that gets you in the postseason? A one-way ticket home.
Ramirez has shown the ability to get needed singles and doubles at least.
“Meanwhile” has to come at the start of the sentence—it can’t come in the middle, separated by two commas.