Rays Activate Taylor Walls From IL, Option Carson Williams
The Rays are shuffling their infield mix this morning, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays that shortstop Taylor Walls is being activated from the injured list. Infield prospect Carson Williams is being optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Walls, 29, has been sidelined to this point in the year by a right oblique strain. He suffered the injury in late March and was expected to be sidelined for at least three to four weeks, but he seems to have beaten that timeline by a solid amount given that he’s returning just 18 days after the injury occurred. The infielder doesn’t offer much in the way of offense to the Rays, as a career .195/.286/.298 hitter who slashed just .220/.319/.380 last year. But he’s a consistent threat to steal 15 to 20 bases a year and plays strong defense at shortstop with +17 Defensive Runs Saved last year for his work at shortstop (and +18 DRS overall).
Walls’s return to the lineup ends Williams’s latest stay in the majors. The 22-year-old was the Rays’ first-round pick back in 2021 and made his MLB debut last year. In 39 games at the big league level, Williams has not yet had any success at the plate to speak of with just a .164/.209/.320 slash line across 131 plate appearances. That hasn’t stopped him from being a consensus top-100 prospect entering this year, but his rankings near the bottom of those lists are a far cry from the consensus top-10 status he had entering last year. That reflects real questions about if Williams will be able to hit in the majors after a rough start to his big league career and him hitting a mediocre .213/.318/.447 with a 34.1% strikeout rate even at Triple-A.
Those numbers won’t play in the majors, so it’s hardly a surprise that the Rays have opted to send their prized shortstop prospect back down to the minors in hopes that more time to develop will help him overcome his contact woes. If he can get back on track hitting-wise, the rest of the package is there for an elite shortstop. He’s got real power with 28 homers (48 extra-base hits) between Triple-A and the majors last year. He’s widely regarded as an excellent defender at shortstop who should have no issues sticking at the position. And his speed has allowed him to swipe between 20 and 30 bags every year. Plus defensive shortstops with 30/30 potential aren’t easy to come by, and one need look no further than the peak of someone like Javier Baez to see how productive a player can be even with a subpar hit tool.
For now, though, it’s only become clearer that Williams needs more time to develop at Triple-A. He should remain there for quite some time at this point, barring another injury to the club’s infield mix. Aside from second baseman Richie Palacios, who is already on the big league bench, non-roster veteran Logan Davidson and his career strikeout rate north of 40% in the majors are the closest thing to a next-man-up available in the Rays organization outside of Williams.
AL East Notes: Corbin, Crawford, Pepiot, Uceta
Patrick Corbin signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Blue Jays yesterday, and he made his organizational debut by tossing five scoreless innings and 74 pitches in a start for A-level Dunedin today. Prior to Corbin’s outing, Toronto manager John Schneider told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, Sportsnet and other media that the Jays would see how the start went before deciding on any further progression. While Corbin’s unsigned status kept him from participating in a normal Spring Training, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote yesterday that Corbin has gone beyond 80-pitch workloads in his personal workouts, and tossing 74 pitches today certainly indicates that the left-hander’s arm seems pretty close to fully built up.
The recovery periods for such injured starters as Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, and Shane Bieber will naturally factor into how Corbin is used in Toronto, as Schneider left open the possibility that the veteran could be used in more of a long relief role. “We definitely view [Corbin] as a starter or a length option. Until the dominoes start to fall back into place with Trey, José and Bieber, you look for length and how we can use it,” Schneider said.
If and when the Blue Jays get close to their full complement of starters healthy, Corbin is likely the odd man out of a rotation mix, so a bullpen role might eventually be in his future. Using Corbin in the bullpen would also add some needed southpaw depth to Toronto’s relief corps, as left-handers Mason Fluharty and Brendon Little have both struggled badly in the early going in 2026.
More from around the AL East…
- Red Sox manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and other reporters that Kutter Crawford is also slated to throw four simulated innings on Monday or Tuesday before beginning a minor league rehab assignment. Crawford didn’t pitch in the majors or minors in 2025 due to both a lingering knee injury, and then wrist surgery. Between Crawford and Patrick Sandoval (Tommy John surgery) both on the verge of rehab assignments, the Sox may soon have a good deal of rotation depth. Boston already has five healthy starters in Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, and Connelly Early, plus prospect Payton Tolle as another depth option. As the cliche goes, however, a team can never have too much pitching, and Johan Oviedo is now a question mark as he battles an elbow strain.
- Ryan Pepiot threw a bullpen session on Friday, and Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times writes that the right-hander is expected back after the Rays’ April 6-12 homestand. Pepiot wasn’t expected to miss too much time after he started the season on the 15-day IL with right hip inflammation, and he projects to be out for roughly a week beyond the minimum 15-day absence. The 28-year-old Pepiot has been a solid part of Tampa’s rotation for two seasons, and the 2025 campaign saw him post a 3.86 ERA, a 24.6% strikeout rate, and a 9.0% walk rate over 167 2/3 innings.
- Also from Topkin, Edwin Uceta may be ready for a rehab assignment after tossing 22 pitches during an extended Spring Training game on Friday. Like Pepiot, Uceta also started the season on the 15-day IL, as the reliever was bothered by a right shoulder impingement that kept him from any game action during the Rays‘ big league spring camp.
Injury Notes: Eflin, Kirk, Cleavinger, Falter
Orioles righty Zach Eflin didn’t travel with the team to Pittsburgh. He’s on the 15-day injured list due to an elbow issue, and manager Craig Albernaz told reporters prior to today’s series opener against the Pirates that Eflin is headed for a second opinion with orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). Eflin exited his first start of the season in the fourth inning due to elbow discomfort. The O’s sent him for imaging and placed him on the 15-day injured list the following day. Albernaz did not disclose the findings of the original MRI.
It’s an ominous scenario for the Orioles and for Eflin, who returned to Baltimore on a one-year, $10MM deal after undergoing back surgery in August. The 31-year-old righty (32 next week) wound up making it back from that surgery in time for Opening Day but now has a separate injury issue threatening his ability to contribute. Eflin was terrific with the Rays and O’s from 2023-24, pitching to a combined 3.54 ERA in 343 innings across the first two seasons of a three-year, $40MM deal originally signed with Tampa Bay. He was rocked for a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts last season while trying to pitch through lat and back injuries.
A few more injury situations of particular note from around the league…
- The Blue Jays are awaiting x-ray results on catcher Alejandro Kirk, writes Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The Toronto backstop left today’s loss to the White Sox in the bottom of the tenth with a left thumb injury. An Austin Hays foul tip struck Kirk awkwardly in his glove hand, and he left the game with trainers. Tyler Heineman came off the bench to finish the game (and showed some rust on a throwing error that allowed the tying run to score with two outs). Brandon Valenzuela is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Skipper John Schneider indicated he’d get his first major league call if Kirk misses time.
- Rays lefty Garrett Cleavinger landed on the 15-day injured list this morning due to tightness in his right calf, per the team. Right-hander Hunter Bigge was recalled from Triple-A Durham in his place. It certainly doesn’t sound like a serious injury, but any absence for Cleavinger is notable for Tampa Bay. Though he’s not a household name, the 31-year-old southpaw pitched to a 3.04 earned run average with a 30% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate in 133 1/3 innings from 2023-25. He’s emerged as a key late-inning arm for skipper Kevin Cash, totaling six saves and 36 holds over the past two seasons.
- The Royals are also down a lefty reliever, as they placed swingman Bailey Falter on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation. Luinder Avila is up from Triple-A and will start the first game of tomorrow’s doubleheader against Milwaukee. (Avila would have started tonight before the series opener was scrapped by weather.) Anne Rogers of MLB.com relays that Falter received an injection to treat valgus extension overload and will be shut down from throwing for a few days. The southpaw missed the final five weeks last season with biceps inflammation and has been tagged for five runs over 3 1/3 innings during his first two appearances.
8 Young Players Auditioning At New Positions
The 2026 season has gotten underway for all but six teams. The A's, Blue Jays, Braves, Royals, Rockies and Marlins will kick off their seasons today. The return of meaningful games has revealed or confirmed some usage plans.
There are a few veteran players who are known to be changing their primary positions this season -- in some cases sliding back to spots they've previously played. Brendan Donovan is moving over to third base to begin his Mariners tenure. The Marlins will play Christopher Morel at first base, while the Giants are giving Luis Arraez another chance to play second base. The Blue Jays are moving Andrés Giménez to shortstop after letting Bo Bichette walk. Mike Trout was back in center field for the Angels last night.
Positional movement is even more common for young players breaking in at the MLB level. Some well-regarded prospects are blocked at their natural positions and need to debut elsewhere. Others are moving down the defensive spectrum after struggling at their previous spots.
We'll run through some first- or second-year players taking on new defensive assignments to begin the year. They'll be worth monitoring to see how they take to unfamiliar spots on the diamond. For those who play fantasy baseball, this may also be an opportunity to get an early jump on players whose positional eligibility should expand within the first couple weeks of the season.
Jordan Lawlar, Diamondbacks, LF/CF
Lawlar was a full-time outfielder this spring, playing 14 games in center field and three in left. He made his regular season outfield debut as a left fielder last night. The D-Backs kept incumbent Alek Thomas in center, though they'll probably get Lawlar work up the middle as well. The 23-year-old made a nice play at the wall in his debut, taking a double away from Freddie Freeman in the process.
Throwing accuracy issues pushed Lawlar off third base at the end of the 2025 season. Arizona acquired Nolan Arenado to play alongside Geraldo Perdomo in what should be an excellent left side of the infield defensively. They need more offensive production out of the two outfield spots to the left of Corbin Carroll. Lawlar, a former No. 6 overall pick and .328/.414/.576 hitter in his Triple-A career, is going to get plenty of run out there.
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Rays Add Cam Booser To 40-Man Roster
The Rays added lefty reliever Cam Booser to their 40-man roster, the team announced. He will not break camp, as the club optioned him to Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay placed righty reliever Steven Wilson on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. He’s dealing with lumbar disc inflammation and will be out for at least the first two months of the season.
Tampa Bay also announced four expected IL placements. Taylor Walls (right oblique strain) and Gavin Lux (right shoulder impingement) went on the 10-day injured list. Ryan Pepiot (right hip inflammation) and Edwin Uceta (right shoulder impingement) go on the shelf for at least 15 days. The Rays can backdate those moves to March 22.
Booser signed a minor league deal in January. That included an upward mobility clause which required the team to add him to the 40-man roster or cut him loose if another club were willing to give him a roster spot. The Rays opted for the former route, though his two remaining option years meant they can still keep him in the minors.
The 33-year-old southpaw (34 in May) had an impressive camp. He fired 11 innings of one-run ball with 12 strikeouts and four walks. Booser has a 95 mph fastball but leaned more heavily on his mid-80s cutter than anything else this spring. He has pitched in parts of two MLB seasons. Booser found success as a rookie with the Red Sox in 2024 but struggled after being traded to the White Sox a year ago. He allowed a 5.52 ERA with huge walk and home run rates across 31 innings for Chicago, who dropped him at the end of the year.
Brewers Acquire Jake Woodford
The Brewers have acquired right-hander Jake Woodford from the Rays, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. It had been reported by Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times that Woodford had triggered the upward mobility clause in his minor league deal with Tampa. The Rays receive right-hander K.C. Hunt in return. Milwaukee placed outfielder Akil Baddoo on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot for Woodford, per McCalvy.
Woodford, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Rays in November. It was recently reported that the deal contained an upward mobility clause. When such a clause is triggered, a player has to be offered up to the other teams in the league. If any of them are willing to give the player a roster spot, the signing club must either trade him or add him to their own roster. In this case, it seems the Brewers were willing to add him, while the Rays preferred a trade to holding on.
The righty’s best seasons to date came in St. Louis. Over the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, he gave the Cardinals 116 innings, allowing 3.26 earned runs per nine. His 15.4% strikeout rate wasn’t good but he induced grounders on 45.8% of balls in play and limited walks to a 7.5% clip.
The past three years have been a struggle, with Woodford finishing all three with an ERA above 6.00. Unsurprisingly, he had to settle for a minor league deal this winter. He threw 7 1/3 innings in camp for the Rays, allowing one earned run while allowing four hits, two walks, hitting one batter while striking out five.
For what it’s worth, his velocity has ticked up slightly. He had mostly been around 92 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker in his career. With the Diamondbacks last year, he got both pitches above 93 mph. He’s been around 94 mph in spring training this year.
The Brewers will take a flier on him to see if that helps him unlock a new gear. Milwaukee has a huge amount of flexibility on the pitching staff. Prior to this deal, Brandon Woodruff and Rob Zastryzny were the only guys on the 40-man who can’t be optioned to the minors. The latter is going to begin the season on the injured list.
Woodford is out of options, so he will be on the active roster, perhaps holding a spot as other arms are shuttled on and off. The club has a reputation for helping pitchers find the best versions of themselves. If they can do that with Woodford and he holds a spot all year, he can be retained for next season via arbitration, though Woodford will obviously have to put up some good numbers before that becomes a consideration. If the club wants to remove him from the 26-man roster at some point, he’ll also have to be removed from the 40-man.
Hunt, 25, spent last year as a starter at the Double-A level. He made 26 starts and logged 121 1/3 innings with a 4.45 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate. FanGraphs ranked him the #51 prospect in the system a few months ago, projecting him as likely to end up as a depth starter. The Rays presumably feel it’s a decent outcome to turn a veteran on a minor league deal into a somewhat notable prospect, even if he doesn’t project to be a future star.
Baddoo was signed to a major league deal this offseason but he suffered a left quad strain a little over a week ago. It’s evidently a pretty bad strain, as this transaction rules him out until at least late May. The Brewers will start the season with Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell in the outfield. Christian Yelich will be out there occasionally, when he’s not the designated hitter. Brandon Lockridge will be on the bench. Blake Perkins has been optioned to Triple-A and will likely be the first man up if someone gets injured.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Rays To Place Ryan Pepiot On Injured List; Carson Williams To Break Camp At Shortstop
The Rays will place right-hander Ryan Pepiot on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right hip, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’s not expected to be out long. With Pepiot sidelined, fellow righty Joe Boyle will be brought back after previously being optioned to Triple-A Durham. Boyle will begin the year in the rotation. Topkin adds that top shortstop prospect Carson Williams, who’d previously been optioned, will now open the season as the Rays’ shortstop after Taylor Walls hit the injured list. That was the expected outcome, though the Rays were at least open to the idea of bringing in some outside help.
Pepiot, 28, has been a solid mid-rotation arm for Tampa Bay for the past two seasons after coming to the Rays in the trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to Los Angeles. He’s pitched a total of 297 2/3 innings with a 3.75 ERA, a 25.4% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate. Pepiot missed time in 2024 after taking a comebacker off his leg and later developing an infection in his right knee — the two weren’t related — but tossed a career-high 167 2/3 innings in a career-high 31 starts in 2025. Since all IL stints can be backdated up to three days (if the player hasn’t been in a game in those three days), Pepiot is only guaranteed to miss the first 12 days of the season.
Boyle, 26, is one of the game’s tallest and hardest-throwing pitchers. Listed at a massive 6’8″ and 250 pounds, he averaged 98.5 mph on his heater last season even while working primarily as a starter. He joined the Rays as part of the return in the trade sending Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics. In 52 innings last year, Boyle logged a 4.67 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate. He was dominant in the minors, yielding only a 1.88 ERA in 86 Triple-A frames. This spring, Boyle turned in a solid 3.72 ERA with a huge 34% strikeout rate but a troublesome 17% walk rate. Boyle will now start the second game of the Rays’ season, Topkin notes; righty Nick Martinez, who signed a one-year deal worth $13MM this winter, will be pushed back a couple games to a minor hamstring issue.
As for Williams, he’ll hope to take this unexpected opportunity and run with it. There’s little doubt about the former first-round pick’s defensive acumen or raw power. Scouts laud him as a plus defender at shortstop, and he belted 28 home runs in 557 plate appearances between Triple-A and a brief major league debut last year. He’s generally considered one of the sport’s top 100 prospects, due in no small part to the relatively high floor created by his glove and plus power.
The question regarding Williams is whether he’ll make enough contact to emerge as an above-average starter or be more of a low-end regular or even a power-and-defense utility option. He fanned in a massive 41.5% of his 106 major league plate appearances last year. That alone wouldn’t be terribly alarming for a small-sample set of plate appearances by a 22-year-old, but Williams also went down on strikes in 34% of his Triple-A plate appearances. He punched out at a 28.5% clip in Double-A in 2024 and a 31.4% clip across three levels in 2023.
Williams has taken a total of 2217 professional plate appearances since being drafted 28th overall in 2021 and has struck out in 32% of them. He’s highly unlikely to ever hit for a high average, but Williams has also walked in 11.4% of his professional plate appearances. If he can continue to walk in more than 10% of his plate appearances, hit for power and play defense, than a batting average in the .210 to .230 range won’t necessarily be a dealbreaker. With Walls down for several weeks due to an oblique strain, Williams will get the chance to solidify himself in manager Kevin Cash‘s infield.
Tampa Bay also finalized its bullpen, per Topkin. Right-hander Hunter Bigge was optioned to Triple-A, leaving lefty Ian Seymour and righties Mason Englert, Yoendrys Gómez, Kevin Kelly and Cole Sulser to claim the final five spots behind veterans Griffin Jax, Bryan Baker and Garrett Cleavinger. Righty Edwin Uceta is already known to be starting the season on the injured list due to shoulder troubles.
Meanwhile, righty Jake Woodford triggered the upward mobility clause in his minor league deal with Tampa Bay. It’s not yet clear whether he’ll be added by another club or if the Rays will keep him as depth to keep on hand in Durham. Woodford had a strong spring (one run, 5-to-2 K/BB ratio, 45.5% grounder rate in 7 1/3 innings) and has pitched in each of the past six big league seasons. He has a 5.10 ERA inn 256 big league frames and has worked as both a starter and long reliever in his career.
A’s Trade Cooper Bowman To Rays
The Athletics and Rays announced a swap of minor league players. Infielder Cooper Bowman goes to Tampa Bay, while the A’s acquire right-handed reliever Gerlin Rosario. Neither player has appeared in the big leagues, nor are they on their respective clubs’ 40-man rosters.
Bowman is the closer of the two to the majors. A 26-year-old second baseman/left fielder, he was selected by the Reds in the 2024 Rule 5 draft. Bowman hit .120 in 13 Spring Training contests. Cincinnati passed him through waivers and returned him to the A’s halfway through camp. Bowman had a rough season in the minors, twice landing on the injured list and struggling when healthy. He hit .234/.328/.385 across 326 plate appearances, most of which came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
The A’s opted not to extend Bowman a non-roster invitation to big league camp this year. He’ll open the season with Tampa Bay’s top affiliate in Durham. Bowman has shown some stolen base acumen in the minors and posted solid offensive numbers back in 2024, when he hit .262/.351/.419 between the top two levels. He’ll provide non-roster second base depth with Richie Palacios pressed back into MLB action by the shoulder impingement sending Gavin Lux to the injured list.
Rosario, 24, spent the entire 2025 season at High-A Bowling Green. He worked to a 2.27 ERA across 47 2/3 innings, albeit with a modest 21.7% strikeout rate. He has never appeared in MLB camp. The A’s will probably send him to Double-A for the first time in his career.
Gavin Lux To Begin Season On Injured List
The Rays will be without Gavin Lux to begin the season. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports that Lux will begin the season on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. Richie Palacios had been optioned a few days ago but will now make the Opening Day roster in place of Lux.
Lux didn’t get to have much of a spring training. He was delayed by some oblique soreness earlier on and then his right shoulder became “cranky” in recent days, in the words of manager Kevin Cash, per Topkin. Around those issues, he got into just seven Grapefruit League contests and hit .190/.190/.238.
Perhaps the shoulder is still bugging him or the Rays want Lux to spend more time getting into a groove on a rehab assignment, as opposed to playing at the big league level. Whatever the reasoning, the Rays are starting the season with both of their planned middle infielders on the shelf. Shortstop Taylor Walls has a right oblique issue and will miss the first three or four weeks of the season.
The Rays acquired Lux in the offseason and had planned on him being their everyday second baseman. With the Reds last year, he put up roughly league average offense while bouncing around the diamond, spending time at second base, third base and left field. The Rays opened second base when they traded Brandon Lowe to the Pirates. They acquired Lux and expressed confidence that the best path forward for him was to be planted at the keystone, as opposed to moving around to different spots.
That plan will now be on pause for the time being. At this point, there’s nothing to indicate this is a major issue. Opening Day IL stints can be backdated by three days, so it’s possible Lux only misses a week to start the season.
The middle infield feels like a weak spot for the Rays. Walls was going to be the shortstop, despite the fact that he hasn’t hit in his career. His injury has seemingly opened the door for Carson Williams to get some reps at short. Williams has notable skills but massive strikeout issues. There’s also some playing time open at second base now, with guys like Palacios, Ben Williamson and Ryan Vilade in the mix there. Jadher Areinamo is on the 40-man but hasn’t yet played at the Triple-A level, so the Rays presumably want to keep him on optional assignment.
Until Lux and/or Walls come back, that appears to be the middle infield group. With other teams making their final roster decisions ahead of Opening Day, some players will become available by being released, opting out of their contracts or getting put on waivers. Even before these injuries, the Rays felt like they needed a bit more middle infield depth. They acquired guys like Tsung-Che Cheng and Brett Wisely during the offseason but couldn’t hold them. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them adding a guy or two in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
AL East Notes: Gil, Bastardo, Lux
Since the Yankees play only nine games during the season’s first 13 days, manager Aaron Boone announced today (to the Athletic’s Chris Kirschner and other reporters) that the team will use a four-man rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers during this rather staggered portion of the schedule. This leaves Luis Gil in a bit of an awkward spot as an unnecessary fifth starter, though pitching coach Matt Blake suggested that Gil could be used in a piggyback capacity during Weathers’ first outing. It is also possible Gil could be left off New York’s Opening Day roster altogether — he could bide his time in the minors until he’s needed, and the Yankees could use his roster spot on an extra reliever.
After winning AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, Gil was limited to 11 starts and 57 innings last season due to a right lat strain. Gil’s peripherals were unimpressive, and his whopping 5.74 SIERA indicates that the right-hander was quite fortunate to manage a 3.32 ERA. The fact that Gil has been relegated to this uncertain role for the start of the season perhaps indicates that the Yankees still have some questions about the righty, though Blake was encouraged by some adjustments Gil made to his release point.
More from around the AL East…
- The Blue Jays‘ bullpen continues to take final form, as manager John Schneider told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae and Shi Davidi) that Tommy Nance will make the team, while Yariel Rodriguez, non-roster invite Jorge Alcala, and Rule 5 Draft pick Angel Bastardo won’t be part of the Opening Day roster. In Bastardo’s case, this means the Jays must offer the right-hander back to the Red Sox, work out a trade with Boston to officially obtain Bastardo’s rights, or perhaps trade Bastardo to another team interested on carrying him on their active roster all season. Bastardo was actually selected in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, but a Tommy John surgery cost him the entire 2025 season and thus Toronto retained his R5 status for the coming season.
- Gavin Lux‘s shoulder remains a bit of a question mark for the Rays as Opening Day looms, though the second baseman was able to return to the lineup for today’s game with the Blue Jays. Lux’s first camp with the Rays was initially slowed by some oblique discomfort, and then a sore throwing shoulder that has limited him to seven Grapefruit League games to date. Manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that due to the “time crunch” created by Thursday’s opener, “we’ve got to get [Lux] going for him to be ready to go.” If Lux needs a 10-day injured list stint to give himself more time to get right, Topkin suggests the Rays could add Richie Palacios to the roster, or perhaps explore the market for a new depth infielder.