Defensive versatility is a hallmark of the Rays organization, and they’re expanding the role for utilitymen Jose Caballero and Richie Palacios this spring, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Caballero, who played plus defense at shortstop, second base and third base in 2024, is getting reps across all three outfield spots in camp. He played two innings in left field last season. Palacios already played five positions last year and is also getting reps in center. Topkin calls him the leading candidate to back up presumptive starter Jonny DeLuca.
Caballero, 28, came to the Rays in a Jan. 2024 trade sending Luke Raley to the Mariners. He doesn’t provide much offense, hitting just .225/.308/.338 in 243 MLB games and 763 plate appearances, but he’s been a plus defender around the infield and piled up 70 steals in 89 tries through a season and a half’s worth of games. Caballero logged the lion’s share of playing time at shortstop last year, but with Ha-Seong Kim now in the fold and Taylor Walls healthy, he’ll move into more of a jack-of-all-trades utility role.
The 27-year-old Palacios was acquired from the Cardinals — in exchange for Andrew Kittredge — on the same day the Rays picked up Caballero. He split the bulk of his time between second base and the outfield corners in his first season with Tampa Bay and drew solid or better defensive grades across those positions. Like Caballero, he didn’t hit for much average or power. Also like Caballero, he adds value to his offensive game with another skill, though not his speed; Palacios walked in a massive 14.2% of his plate appearances last season. He chased only 22.3% of pitches off the plate, per Statcast, ranking in the 87th percentile of hitters (min. 300 plate appearances).
That both players are getting looks in center field is of extra note given the lack of an established player at the position. DeLuca is in line to see the bulk of playing time there, but the 26-year-old hit just .217/.278/.331 in 362 plate appearances last year. DeLuca spent more time in right field than in left, and fielded the corner spot quite well (6 Defensive Runs Saved, 5 Outs Above Average). His work in center was graded closer to average (-1 DRS, 2 OAA).
If DeLuca doesn’t provide more offensively and/or prove to be a standout defender in center, it’s feasible that either Caballero or Palacios could get more looks there. Tampa Bay also has outfielders Kameron Misner and Jake Mangum on the 40-man roster, each of whom has experience in center. More broadly, whoever ends up seeing the bulk of the early time in center could prove a placeholder for fleet-footed prospect Chandler Simpson.
Simpson is still relatively new to center field — the 24-year-old was a middle infielder in college ball — but he hit .355/.410/.397 between High-A and Double-A last season and is an 80-grade runner who’ll be one of MLB’s fastest players if and when he debuts. Simpson only hit one home run in 2024 but swiped a staggering 104 bases in only 110 games played — all while fanning in only 8.5% of his plate appearances.
You have to think with his speed and defense Caballero will definitely be in that lineup more often than not.
No biggie, but the wrong Jose Caballero is linked here.
Should link to Guy Caballero.
This 2025 Rays lineup is godawful. Danny Jansen is projected to bat 5th for them?!
And yet they’ll probably still find a way to win like 85 games. They always have like 3 players unexpecedly breakout or something.
The grounds crew will get more work done in center field
RIP, Frank Saucier: 14 career at-bats for the St. Louis Browns in 1951, yet he is best remembered for a non-at-bat. He’s the guy who was pinch-hit for by 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel.
Anything to get Caballero’s .200 avg in the lineup, keep DeLuca’s service time low, and keep Caminero and Carson Williams in AAA. Nice move, $ternberg!! If only the front office wouldn’t follow directions!
Nobody is keeping Caminero in AAA – or did you not notice, Rays fan you claim to be – that he’s the starting third baseman and has been since mid-August last season, once he recovered from his leg injuries?
Nobody is “keeping” Carson Williams in AAA, either. He has 13 at-bats at AAA and he struck out in 6 of them. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in AA last season. He’s hitting .154 this spring. Maybe he’ll be ready by mid-season, maybe not, but he isn’t ready right now. Keeping Caballero on the roster and playing him in the outfield is not some conspiracy to keep an infielder in the minors. Or was signing Ha-Seong Kim for big money by Rays standards also a weird way to spend money yet also stick it to a prospect?
Nobody is trying to keep DeLuca’s service time low; the only way that happens (and it might) is if he hits his way back to Durham. They planned to keep his service time low by trading their starting CF and handing him the job? Or by trying out Caballero and Palacios in CF when they have comparable service time (DeLuca 1.085, Palacios 1.156, Caballero 1.170)? Yeah, handing guys a starting spot sure screams “limit his service time.”
Maybe you’re a Rays fan, and maybe you aren’t, but considering all the complaining you do about them on every Rays thread, maybe you should find a team that doesn’t upset you so much.
If all 3 (Caballero, Palacios, and DeLuca) are in the lineup, I feel guys who could use playing time who are rookies/AAA guys won’t be able to start.. With Caminero at 3b (if they don’t send him down), Palacios in CF and DeLuca in LF, that leaves Cabby playing short, B Lowe at 2b, J Lowe in right, Diaz at first, and Jansen catcher. You have dozens of young options like Mead, Aranda, Misner, Roortvedt, Dominic Keegan, Logan Driscoll, and Williams left to fight for the DH spot. I just think many of these guys should start over Caby and Palacios. With some more seasoning in the minors, Driscoll and Williams need to get a shot in the Majors, and if Mead, Misner, and Aranda don’t get chances to get ABs in the show, they are going to be like Brujan or Xavier Edwards and have to go to another team to get a shot, but unlike those 2, I think the guys I mentioned are going to be a lot better. I’m just sick of .200 AVG hitters starting for the Rays while other options are available on the bench or in AAA. I haven’t even mentioned the possibility of Walls starting and moving another decent hitter out of the starting lineup in favor of a .200 hitter who fields well. Sorry if I’m bitching, I’m just sick of the cheap owner and front office thus relies WAY too much on analytics.
I’ve been a Rays fan since their inception in 1998. Saw horrible teams with Dennis Springer and Esteban Yan giving up HRs and Bobby Smith and Miguel Cairo starting in the infield. I just want to see them win a title, and they aren’t going to if they don’t retain young core players and sign some top tier free agents.
I’ve been a Rays fan from the jump, too, and I understand the frustration; I do. But rushing guys who aren’t ready yet solves nothing.
Rortvedt got and will continue to get his shot, splitting catching duties with Jansen this season. Driscoll and Rortvedt both hit lefthanded; we aren’t carrying two lefthanded catchers. If Rortvedt is hitting .180 at the end of May, you’ll see Driscoll. Keegan doesn’t have a single plate appearance at AAA. Give him a year, and when Jansen moves on Keegan will (hopefully) be the guy.
Aranda was going to get his shot last season until he broke his finger at the end of spring training. He’s going to play a lot for the Rays this season.
Misner can’t hit, period. 33% strikeout rate at AAA. 30% overall in the minors. And he’s 27. We need to get away from the swing-and-miss. Palacios (only 8 months older than Misner) gets on base and can play more positions. He’s a better fit.
Williams, as I said earlier, just isn’t ready. Call him up now, watch him strike out 40% of the time and hit .180, and you haven’t improved on Walls – who for the love of God has got to go. Nobody on the planet other than Cash and Neander could possibly think his defense can be so good as to offset his ineptitude at the plate. But Williams isn’t ready – so Walls will hold down the fort until Kim is back, and we’ll see Williams late ‘25 or next season when/if Kim opts out.
The lineup most nights will be 1B Diaz, 2B BLowe, SS Walls, 3B Caminero, LF Morel, CF DeLuca, RF JLowe, C Jansen, DH Aranda. Palacios and Caballero will slide in and out as needed. Rortvedt is the backup catcher. And after the season, Morgan will be ready to take over for Díaz, Williams for whoever is still at SS, and at some point Chandler Simpson will bump Palacios or Caballero off the roster or DeLuca to Durham if he isn’t hitting. The foundation is being laid.
Which leaves Mead, who has shown nothing in his sporadic MLB time. Where does he play? Not 3B, that’s Caminero. Not 2B every day, that’s BLowe. Not as the righthanded 1B, that’s Diaz. Mead can’t play SS. He’s the short side of one of Cash’s beloved platoons at DH. So he either keeps getting regular ABs at Durham or they sack up and trade him before they tank his prospect value like they did with Brujan.
Forgot about Morel. He scares me with all of his Ks. I kind of wish they move Caminero to SS and put Mead at 3b for a while. Or trade Diaz for another starter or solid setup guy. Same with Brandon Lowe while he still has some trade value and his back is still being held together by bubble gum. It could free up space for Mead and Aranda and other guys. Xavier Isaac is supposed to be an elite guy as well (not sure if he’s been in AAA or just AA. Maybe I just need to not watch this year and come back in a year or so when (hopefully) the core of a playoff team is ready and (even more hopefully) still on the team.
44 steals needs to find a way into the lineup. This is a team with questionable power outside of maybe Brandon Lowe so manufacturing runs will be very important for the Rays to be successful
Playing at Swampbrenner this year, power will be fine its the arms that worry me. At best we are a fringe playoff contender this year anyway. Retool year see whose worth their value until the next wave of prospects come up in 26
The Rays defense is not good. The front office might not regret trading away their best fielder, but I bet the pitchers will.
Just all placeholders til Simpson gets the call
If Caballero & Palacios can successfully transition, MLB front offices might rethink center field scouting altogether. Teams could develop athletic infielders with strong lateral range into center fielders, rather than overpaying for true outfielders with limited offensive upside. This could lower the cost of CF production while expanding roster flexibility.
Rays truly playing 4D chess.
Palacios has experience in CF. He got the majority of his playing time the Cardinals in CF in 2023. He did alright and is likely to improve some with more experience. I would feel comfortable playing him there.
@DonOsbourne
You’re right to point out Palacios’s prior experience in center field with the Cardinals. That experience, however, highlights the reactive nature of traditional position assignments. My point goes beyond individual player history to address a proactive shift in organizational strategy. The Rays are not merely filling a temporary gap; they’re demonstrating the strategic value of ‘positional optionality.’ This concept, often overlooked in traditional scouting, quantifies the benefit of players who can seamlessly transition between high-value defensive positions. Modern analytics reveal that defensive metrics like Outs Above Average (OAA) and Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) are increasingly transferable across positions, especially for athletes with strong lateral range and reaction time. Caballero’s plus defensive ratings at multiple infield positions strongly suggest a high probability of success in center field, given proper training. Furthermore, sabermetric analysis shows that the offensive production of many ‘traditional’ center fielders is often overvalued relative to their defensive contributions. By developing infielders with high defensive versatility, teams can potentially optimize their overall WAR (Wins Above Replacement) output. The free-agent market for ‘traditional’ center fielders with limited offensive upside is often inflated. By developing infielders into center fielders, teams can potentially achieve similar defensive production at a lower cost, freeing up payroll for other areas. The Rays’ approach is not merely about filling a roster hole. It’s about establishing a new paradigm for positional development. It’s about anticipating future market trends and proactively optimizing roster construction. This is why I refer to it as ‘4D chess.'”
Totally agree. Very well said.