The Rays announced that outfielder Tristan Peters has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move for their signing of left-hander Steven Matz, whose two-year deal is now official.
Peters, 26 in February, got to make his major league debut in 2025. The Rays added him to their 40-man roster in August but he was mostly kept on optional assignment. He only got into four games with 12 plate appearances in total. He didn’t get a hit or a walk and struck out seven times.
That’s obviously a small sample size. In the minors, Peters has done a lot of things well without a standout tool. His 11.7% walk rate and 18.1% strikeout rate are both a bit better than average. He has hit a few home runs but never more than 15 in a season. He can also steal about 15ish bases a year. He can play all three outfield slots.
The total package was enough to get him up to the big leagues but the Rays don’t view him as a key building block. Now that he’s been bumped off the 40-man, he’ll be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Rays could take five days to see if there’s any trade interest. Peters still has a couple of options and just a handful of service days. If any club acquires him, he could be a depth outfielder with roster flexibility and years of cheap control. If he is passed through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Rays as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
LOL Rays stock up on depth
Uh huh huh you said “Peters”…
Great Manitoba boy, from the thriving metropolitan of Winkler. Best of luck getting back to the bigs.
.767 OPS in two seasons at AAA Durham, plays all three OF positions, still has options. He’d be a good 5th/6th OF for several rebuilding or perpetually lousy teams, but Tampa has a few guys who fit that profile and they can’t keep all of them.