The Rays got back into the win column with tonight’s 5-2 win over the Rangers. Tampa Bay broke things open with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Isaac Paredes. On the pitching end, Zach Eflin limited the World Series champs to one earned run on five hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings while striking out five.
With good news on the field today, the injury updates were a little more mixed, as you’ll see in this selection of Rays notes…
- Shane Baz will be re-evaluated Thursday after manager Kevin Cash said the right-hander “felt his oblique again a little bit” after throwing a live batting practice. Cash told MLB.com and other media that it doesn’t seem to be a major concern, though the Rays are being cautious since Baz also had a minor oblique issue in early March. Selected 12th overall by the Pirates in the 2017 draft, Baz came to the Rays organization as part of the (infamous for Bucs fans) Chris Archer trade at the 2018 deadline, and quickly became one of baseball’s most highly-touted pitching prospects. Baz had a 4.02 ERA over 40 1/3 innings in 2021-22 before being sidelined by arthroscopic elbow surgery and then an elbow sprain, which ultimately resulted in a Tommy John surgery in September 2022. Since the Rays plan to ease him back into action with a limited innings count, Baz’s offseason prep has been moving at a different pace, with his oblique problems also acting some bumps in the road. If all goes well, Baz might be able to make his return to the majors in the middle or back half of May.
- Taylor Walls is also recovering from a significant surgery, as the shortstop had a hip procedure last October that has kept him on the injured list to begin the season. However, Cash said the Rays’ plan to start Walls in extended Spring Training by mid-April looks to be on track after Walls got a “very good report” after a recent doctor visit. Depending on how much time Walls needs to get ready, late May or early June looks like a reasonable start date for his 2024 debut. The fact that Tampa Bay put him on the 10-day IL and not the 60-day IL at the start of the season indicates some hopefulness on the club’s part that Walls can indeed return before May is over. The defensive specialist has only hit .189/.289/.304 in 991 career Major League plate appearances, though it is certainly possible the long-lingering nature of Walls’ hip problems impacted his offensive production.
- The Rays’ Triple-A affiliate placed Junior Caminero on the seven-day injured list today (retroactive to April 1) due to a left quad strain. The concern level was high after Caminero was forced out of Sunday’s game and had to be helped off the field, yet Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X link) indicates that the injury might not be overly serious. Caminero is widely considered one of baseball’s best prospects, and after debuting with seven MLB games and two postseason games in 2023, the infielder is expected to contribute more to the 26-man roster after he gets some more minor league seasoning. Caminero’s three games with Durham this season represent his only experience at the Triple-A level, and he only has 226 games of pro experience altogether.
Baz: Sorry guys, don’t feel like pitching for a while, felt a twinge in my tummy.
It’s ridiculous that they weren’t even planning to have him pitch at the start of the season. He had the surgery in September of ’22, so what are they waiting for?
Health.
He did not have any health issues in his recovery til yesterday. Rays have been saying for at least the last month they’d bring him back slowly and limit his innings.
If he can only provide 120 innings would you rather they were at the start of the year or the end? Same thing with Walker Buehler this year and Tyler Glasnow a season ago. It isn’t difficult if you think about it for more than half a second, but some folks are too busy, I guess.
Birdie,
You don’t even know where the oblique muscle is, let alone what it must be like to try to throw baseball 100 mph with an injury to that area.
I do know, these guys look for any reason they can find, to shut themselves down and keep collecting paychecks.
Yes, athletes who have driven themselves their entire lives to be the best on the planet are really just lazy bums looking to coast and collect a league minimum paycheck. Sure…
Yep! Follow the money!
I’m a Rays fan, and if I’m really honest, I really don’t see them making the playoffs this year, and it they somehow sneak in, they just don’t have the tools to do anything because of cheap ownership, so it really doesn’t matter when you pitch Baz, he’s not going to be enough to get them over the hump. Now if they had kept Glasnow, signed Chapman and moved Paredes to SS, traded for a decent catcher, and added another starting pitcher, it might be a different story.
Too early to tell, but the pitching does look shaky. To be fair, the bullpen was awful last year to start the year, but nobody noticed because they were routing teams. I wouldn’t bet against them righting the ship with their pitching, but I am looking more forward to the 2025 season when we have McClanahan, Springs, and Rasmussen to open the year. 2024 feels like a year where they’re trying things and seeing what sticks.
Also, not sure about Paredes as SS. He’d be pretty shaky defensively. Even so, not looking forward to seeing Walls’s bat back in the lineup. The Rays are a little too obsessed with him.
I have to be honest and say I can’t ever expect everyone on the Rays be healthy by OD. Maybe one or two or all three of those pitchers have setbacks. It’s why I put a lot more importance on the positional side of the ball… Where the Rays rarely develop well and refuse to spend the money on legit hitters. The whole reason Rays pitchers are so good despite being nobodies before joining is because the Rays focus on increasing rotation and spin rates. That puts a lot of strain on the arms of these guys and I am not at all surprised to see most of our best pitchers on the IL. The Rays create their own bad luck.
Walls is a downgrade at SS compared to everyone on the roster. He’s even been shaky on defense!
I haven’t seen them making the playoffs for the last 10 years. They’ll be alright
What about Josh Lowe?
Thanks for the other updates!