The Rays announced Tuesday that center fielder Jonny DeLuca has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain. Manager Kevin Cash tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that DeLuca is likely to miss two to four weeks. Infielder Coco Montes is up from Triple-A in DeLuca’s place.
It’s an abrupt halt to a blistering start in DeLuca’s 2025 season. The former Dodgers farmhand, acquired alongside Ryan Pepiot in the trade sending Tyler Glasnow to Los Angeles, is out to a .435/.480/.522 start with four steals in 25 plate appearances. He’s obviously not going to sustain that pace, which is buoyed by a .526 average on balls in play and comes in spite of a bleak 10.5% hard-hit rate, but DeLuca has been a key piece in an already injury-plagued outfield through nine games. Josh Lowe and Richie Palacios are both on the shelf as well. That leaves the Rays with rookies Jake Mangum and Kameron Misner in prominent roles alongside defensive nomad Christopher Morel in left field. Infielder Jose Caballero has been getting work in the outfield as well. Montes is primarily an infielder but does have a bit of left field experience in the minors and in Japan last year.
Tampa Bay’s 40-man outfield depth is more or less already depleted, though veteran Eloy Jiménez is out to a decent start in Triple-A. Even if he’s a defensive liability, he has experience in the corners and could be a serviceable short-term option. Prospects Chandler Simpson and Tre’ Morgan are other potential non-roster options who could be called upon if a need arises before the guys on the IL get healthy.
The Rays traded Jose Siri to the Mets in November and quickly revealed that they planned to use DeLuca as the primary center fielder to start the post-Siri era. DeLuca hit a pretty tepid .217/.278/.331 for the Rays last year but stole 16 bases and got solid marks for his glovework. As mentioned, he got out to a far better start this year, though in a small sample but with some flags. Regardless, it’s still a blow, especially given the other injuries the club is already dealing with.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
DeLuca got whacked, Rays are going to need a new “hit” man…
Travis Jankowski got DFA’d by the White Sox, and it wouldn’t take more than some cash or the lowest level player to grab him. He can go get it in Centerfield if needed, and steal a base for you, but has zero power.
Short term stop gap measure for sure, but maybe better than putting infielders on the grass, especially if you need someone to come in for defensive purposes later in a game ( ie, for Morel ) or to steal a base.
If Jiménez plays 20 games in a corner (mid-April to May), his 108 wRC+ vs. Mangum’s ~80 (Triple-A adjusted) = 28-point gap × 0.01 runs/point = 0.28 runs/game × 20 games = 5.6 runs, plus 2-3 HR (2024 pace) = 8-12 runs total. His -5 DRS (2024) costs ~1-2 runs, netting 6-10. Rays’ 4-5 record (implied) and Siri trade signal offense-first intent, yet they’re stalling on Jiménez’s bat for defense they can’t afford to prioritize.