The Rays announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the Braves in exchange for cash. Tampa Bay also placed infielder Brandon Lowe on the 10-day injured list with tendinitis in his left ankle. Right-hander Manuel Rodriguez goes from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot for Fairchild on the 40-man roster.
Atlanta designated the 29-year-old Fairchild for assignment just yesterday morning. He’s primarily been a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive replacement in the Braves’ outfield. Fairchild has played in 28 games but only come to the plate 55 times this year. He’s hit .216/.273/.333 in that tiny sample and is a career .223/.305/.384 hitter in 670 major league plate appearances overall.
Fairchild, a former second-round pick, has totaled 277 major league games split between the Diamondbacks, Reds, Giants, Mariners and Braves. He has well above-average speed (87th percentile, per Statcast) and can handle all three outfield spots, which has led to him carving out a frequent role as a fourth outfielder. He’s a right-handed bat who offers slightly above-average production against lefties but has struggled considerably in right-on-right matchups. Fairchild is out of options, so the Rays will have to carry him on the big league roster or else designate him for assignment once again.
Lowe exited the Rays’ game on Saturday with what was described at the time as plantar fasciitis. He hasn’t appeared in a game since. As such, the move can be backdated to July 20. That leaves the veteran second baseman time to be reinstated prior to the July 31 trade deadline.
In 350 plate appearances this season, Lowe is hitting .269/.320/.480 with 19 home runs, 11 doubles, three stolen bases, a 6.9% walk rate and a 25.4% strikeout rate. He’s in the final guaranteed season of his contract, though Tampa Bay holds an $11.5MM club option (with a $500K buyout) that seems overwhelmingly likely to be exercised.
The Rays aren’t clear-cut sellers, but there’s always a possibility of them moving some veteran pieces whose club control is dwindling. In that sense, Lowe is a speculative trade candidate who’d presumably appeal to clubs with second base needs (e.g. Giants, Astros). He can be traded even if he’s on the injured list, and as already mentioned, there’s a chance he’s back before the deadline has passed. There’s no guarantee Rays brass will even make Lowe available, but they do have several infield alternatives on the roster (e.g. Jose Caballero, Ha-Seong Kim, Curtis Mead, Taylor Walls).
Rodriguez, 28, has been a key setup arm for Tampa Bay when healthy, tallying 11 holds and a 2.08 ERA in 30 1/3 innings this season. He landed on the injured list due to a forearm strain in early June, and president of baseball operations Erik Neander indicated last week (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that Rodriguez isn’t expected back anytime soon. It’s still not entirely clear what his prognosis is, but the shift to the 60-day IL leaves him shelved into at least mid-August. Based on Neander’s comments and the fact that Rodriguez isn’t yet throwing, it’s fair to presume it’ll be a good bit longer than that.
Not a bad 4th outfielder. Can run and go get em. Can’t hit at all. Between him, Luke williams, Verdugo when he was here, Eli white, we have no one that can hit.
He’s not one of the top four outfielders for this team. Throw in Caballero, he’s not even in the top five. Another worthless move by a FO that used to always nail it. But it’s been a while…
The real trades come later, when they strip the team of the good players to trade for young guys…who they will develop then trade before they can make an impact in the bigs…for more young guys…it is the cycle.
Why make this move
Take that AL East
Rays have cash to throw around? Since when?
This made me laugh
Stu found some spare change in his couch lol
Thats exactly what I said, traded for cash! The Rays lol WHAT!!!
Confusing move. . . we aren’t in any need of OF depth (especially with Deluca and Palacios on rehab assignments.). Brandon Lowe is hurt again, and so is Kim. . . if anything, we needed a utility infielder while they are getting healthy.
Unless this is a sign of one, or more, outfielders being moved before the deadline. . .
agree. head-scratcher.
maybe speed for potential playoff games
I assumed they’d call Mead up, but they can’t resist passing up another light hitting fielder.
Pinch runner and defensive replacement for playoffs.
lol…um, maybe check the roster? There is already plenty of speed. But you are right about “dEfEnSiVe rEpLaCeMenT”…good old cash loves to take out his best hitters late in the game, replace them with guys who can’t hit a lick, then when the bullpen blows it the Rays have no chance. (the partial caps are a jab at cash, not you)
This move has to be a knee-jerk reaction to the current injuries and they just want another body.
We don’t need him in the OF, and when Deluca and Palacios come back we’ll have a surplus of outfielders/pinch runners/defensive replacements.
I’d be shocked if Fairchild is on the roster come August, let alone the playoffs.
Another Rays trade for a nobody. Just admit you won’t make any real moves? Trade Kim, Fairbanks, Littell, and Yandy, see what you can get. The month or so when the Rays were the best team in baseball is long in the rearview…and it ain’t coming back. That was a flash. Bring up the kids, let them get some experience. May as well, cuz this is another wasted year.
you truly seem like a miserable person
The Rays have lost 4 series in a row so it might be best to look ahead…Looks like we’ll have Brandon around next year. Now, if we can just hang on to Littell, or at least get a chance to persaude him if his contract is expiring. I reiterate, nobody seems to be willing to trade decent prospects. The deadline is a flea market. of castoffs from bottom-half farm systems.
Finally ,contributors here say Walls and Caballero are no good, until the subject of who will replace their proposed Rays trade candidates in the field comes up.
Carson Williams will replace Walls, or Kim could do it. Same with Caballero. Misner, Simpson, and Mangum can replace Caballero when he plays OF, and again, Williams or Kim can slot in SS or wherever they have Caballero playing in the IF. Cabby could get you a better return than Walls because of his speed and having the better bat, but I would trade Walls for a bag of balls if they would be dumb enough to make such a lopsided trade.
Dude can’t hit but he can run .. not a bad bench piece if u need it. I’d prefer to keep him than run 3 catchers but that’s the world we are in at the moment
They are running three catchers because Ozuna can’t hit lately, so Baldwin and Murphy have alternated at DH while the other one is catching. Braves need a backup catcher in case of injury or defensive replacement. Liked Fairchild but he was a luxury that team couldn’t afford.
Why? He is a waste of a roster spot with Profar back. HE is essentially the 5th OF (maybe sixth if you included Williams) for the Braves. He plays about 1 inning every four games. That makes zero sense over having a late inning injury replacement catcher so that you can use both Murphy and Baldwin almost every game as C/DH and vice versa, especially with Ozuna still not being right.
Only a matter of time for Lowe and the il 😩
Rays are going to gut the team, so the have to get some scrubs like Fairchild to throw out there every night for catatonic Rays fans who are still supporting $ternberg and his wallet. I’m not spending one more red cent on the Rays until new ownership takes over and proves they will spend money on extending players and decent free agents. Until then, go Tigers and whoever is playing the Yankee$!
Yea but I’m surprised Lowe’s been there for as long as he has that’s the shocking part
Yeah, I’m always worried he is boing to get hurt. Figured they wanted to play him since he wasn’t hurt and he is such a streaky hitter so his trade value went up. Go figure he gets injured. I love him as the longest tenured Ray, but he is just so streaky and injury prone that Tampa needs to try someone more consistent at 2B like maybe Carson Williams or Kim. I figured he would be gone 2 years ago. Hopefullly the new ownership will extend the youngsters and sign some top tier free agents and some of these guys will be around a long time like Lowe has.
AA getting some cash for a potential big trade
Morgan Fairchild must have been taken…