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Rays Release Ryan Thompson

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The Rays announced that right-hander Ryan Thompson has cleared release waivers and has been unconditionally released. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any club.

Thompson, 31, is enduring a frustrating season but has been much better in previous years. From 2020 to 2022, he made 108 appearances for the Rays, allowing 3.50 earned runs per nine innings over those. His 23.1% strikeout rate was roughly average, but his 6.5% walk rate and 52.5% ground ball rate were both strong.

This year, however, has been a bumpy ride. He landed on the injured list in mid-April due to a right lat strain and went on to struggle a bit after he returned, sporting a 6.60 ERA on May 21. The Rays then optioned him to Triple-A and he has been on and off the active roster since then, getting recalled and then optioned three more times since. He has a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, with a concerning walk rate of 13.9% but a huge 30.4% strikeout rate in that small sample.

He had been on the minor league injured list since early August due to a minor elbow issue but recently had a clean MRI, per MLBTR’s Steve Adams. He was still on the IL when he was designated for assignment yesterday, meaning the club had little choice but to release him. Injured players can’t be put on outright waivers and the trade deadline went by a couple of weeks ago, leaving a release inevitable.

He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. Despite the challenging year, he figures to get interest based on his previous results. He came into this year with exactly three years of service time and a full slate of options. Since he’s spent a lot of time on optional assignment this year, he won’t reach four years of service and can be retained for three years beyond this one via arbitration. He’ll burn one of his options but will still be optionable for two future seasons.

Rays Designate Hector Perez For Assignment, Activate Andrew Kittredge

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The Rays announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Hector Perez for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to fellow righty Andrew Kittredge, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list.

Perez, 27, was only selected to the big league roster yesterday — a move intended to give the Rays a fresh arm in the bullpen. With Kittredge’s return looming, a short stay on the roster for the out-of-options righty always seemed like a possibility. That Perez pitched in yesterday’s game and allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base surely didn’t help his cause. Yesterday’s appearance marked Perez’s second career big league stint, though his other — a 2020 cup of coffee in Toronto — was similarly brief. The Jays gave him 1 2/3 innings back in 2020, during which he allowed a pair of runs.

All told, Perez has completed just two innings in the Major Leagues and allowed three runs on six hits and four walks with one strikeout in that time. He has a career 3.78 ERA and 26.7% strikeout rate in the minors, however, including a 4.08 ERA and 30% strikeout rate (albeit against a 13% walk rate) in 53 innings at the Triple-A level so far in 2023. Players who’ve been designated for assignment can no longer be traded now that the deadline has passed, so Perez will be placed on outright waivers or release waivers within the next five days. He’s been outrighted previously in his career, so he can refuse a minor league assignment and explore other opportunities if he goes unclaimed on outright waivers.

The 33-year-old Kittredge will be returning from a 14-month absence following last June’s Tommy John surgery. Prior to his injury, he’d emerged as one of Tampa Bay’s best relievers, pitching to a 2.17 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate, 51.9% ground-ball rate and 0.99 homers per nine over the life of 99 2/3 innings from 2020-22. Along the way, he picked up 14 saves and seven holds.

Kittredge’s return is a massive boost for the Rays’ bullpen, but it won’t do much to stop the bleeding in a rotation that has now lost Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs to season-ending surgeries. Rasmussen underwent flexor surgery earlier this season, while both Springs and McClanahan required Tommy John procedures to repair ligament damage in their elbow. The still-recent revelation that McClanahan would require Tommy John surgery is a particularly brutal blow, given both his status as a legitimate No. 1 starter and the timing of the injury; he’ll likely miss the entire 2024 season as well (or at the very least the vast majority of it).

Kittredge will join Pete Fairbanks, Jason Adam and Colin Poche as a viable late-inning option for manager Kevin Cash. He’s also no stranger to working as an opener, if the Rays prefer to opt for some bullpen games in light of their injury woes. Kittredge has “started” 15 games in his career but never gone more than three innings. He’s frequently worked two innings to open a game for the Rays. Currently, Tampa Bay’s rotation consists of Tyler Glasnow, offseason signee Zach Eflin, deadline acquisition Aaron Civale and reliever-turned-starter Zack Littell.

Prosecutors In Dominican Republic Evaluating Allegations Against Wander Franco

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Prosecutors in Peravia, Dominican Republic have opened an investigation into the social media allegations against Wander Franco, a prosecuting attorney told the Associated Press. The country’s National Agency for Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Family and Gender Violence Unit is handling the case.

According to the attorney’s office, they’ve yet to have any contact with U.S. officials or anyone from MLB. It’s unclear if/when prosecutors will speak with MLB officials, though they informed the AP they could provide more information on the investigation’s status at some point next week.

Social media posts over the weekend alleged that Franco had been engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. After the posts garnered widespread public attention on Sunday afternoon, the Rays and Franco mutually agreed he’d be placed on the restricted list. Evan Drellich and Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic wrote Monday evening that the star shortstop had pledged his innocence to Tampa Bay teammates but conceded his presence around the club would be a distraction. Franco also denied the allegations in a since-removed Instagram Live video on Sunday evening.

Franco does not count against the Rays’ roster while on the restricted list, though he and the team agreed he’d still collect his salary. Rookie Osleivis Basabe has started at shortstop in each of Tampa Bay’s three games since then.

Rays Designate Ryan Thompson for Assignment, Select Hector Perez

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3:55pm: Thompson had been on the minor league injured list with a minor elbow issue, tweets MLBTR’s Steve Adams, but was given a clean bill of health after a recent MRI was reviewed by team doctors and a third-party doctor. He threw a bullpen session this morning.

12:50pm: After placing right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly on the 15-day injured list with an ankle sprain, the Rays have selected Hector Perez from Triple-A Durham to take his place in the bullpen, as first reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In a corresponding move, the team has designated Ryan Thompson for assignment to make room for Perez on the 40-man roster.

Kelly was drafted by the Guardians in 2019, and the Rockies picked him up in the Rule 5 draft this past December. Colorado flipped him to Tampa Bay the same day. He has performed well for the Rays this season, pitching to a 3.48 ERA and 3.89 SIERA in 48 games out of the bullpen, although he has shown signs of tiring since the All-Star break. The rookie is already nearing his career-high in innings pitched. It is unclear how severe Kelly’s ankle injury is, but he will not be eligible to return until August 31.

Perez made his MLB debut for the Blue Jays in 2020, pitching in a single game. He has not pitched in a major league game since; he had his contract selected by the Rays earlier this season but was DFA’d without appearing in a game. He came to Tampa Bay this winter in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. In 53 innings at Triple-A, he has a 4.08 ERA. His 30% strikeout rate is impressive, but his 13% walk rate is a cause for concern.

Thompson also came to the Rays organization in the minor league portion of a Rule 5 draft, back in 2018. He was a solid bullpen piece from 2020-22, appearing in 108 games with a 3.50 ERA and 3.42 SIERA. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been nearly as effective in 2023. He has bounced back and forth between the Rays and Durham Bulls, and while his 3.26 ERA and 30.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A are impressive, his 6.11 ERA in 17 2/3 major league innings is not.

Thompson has been on the minor league injured list since August 6, so he cannot be placed on outright waivers. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Rays will have to put him on release waivers in the coming days. He’s being paid a $1MM salary in 2023 and still has about $247K of that sum left on his deal. A new team would take on that money upon claiming him but would also gain an additional three years of club control over the right-hander.

Shane McClanahan To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Rays ace Shane McClanahan will require Tommy John surgery next week, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). He’s expected to miss the entire 2024 campaign.

It’s a devastating if not entirely unexpected development. The two-time All-Star left his start on August 2 after experiencing forearm discomfort. Tampa Bay has been exploring their options for the past couple weeks, though the club had already confirmed he was expected to miss the remainder of 2023 and that surgery was a consideration. He’s already on the 60-day injured list.

Surprising or not, it’s hard to overstate the significance of losing a pitcher of McClanahan’s caliber. The former first-round draftee debuted with 25 starts of 3.43 ERA ball two seasons ago. By his second major league season, he’d broken through as one of the game’s best pitchers. McClanahan was a legitimate Cy Young contender into August last year before a shoulder impingement cost him a couple weeks.

The absence dropped the South Florida product to sixth in Cy Young balloting, but he still finished his sophomore campaign with a 2.54 ERA through 166 1/3 frames. While his ERA took a bit of a step back this season, a 3.29 mark over 21 starts still ranks 19th among big league starters (minimum 100 innings). He’s 23rd among that same group with a 25.8% strikeout rate. McClanahan earned his second consecutive All-Star nod last month.

Tampa Bay has dealt with a brutal stretch of pitching injuries over the past few months. Top prospect Shane Baz has missed the entire year after undergoing a Tommy John procedure last September. McClanahan becomes the third member of the Rays’ season-opening starting staff to require surgery this year. Jeffrey Springs required a Tommy John procedure in April; Drew Rasmussen underwent flexor tendon surgery last month.

Even after the absences to Baz, Springs and Rasmussen, the Rays had an effective top of the rotation. McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin made for an excellent trio. With McClanahan now out of the picture, Glasnow assumes the role of staff ace. Eflin — who has dealt with knee issues throughout his career but has a 3.67 ERA through 23 starts in his first season with Tampa Bay — is the #2 option.

The early-season injuries led the Rays to acquire Aaron Civale from the Guardians at the deadline. That acquisition takes on increased importance with McClanahan out. Still, there’s little recourse beyond internal options for Tampa Bay in patching together the final two rotation spots. Taj Bradley has been up-and-down as a rookie and is on optional assignment to Triple-A. The Rays have pushed Zack Littell into the rotation and recently activated Josh Fleming from the injured list.

Tampa Bay enters play Tuesday three games back of the Orioles in the AL East. They’re still in strong playoff position, 7.5 games clear of the Mariners (the top non-playoff team in the AL). Their chances of running down Baltimore to secure a first-round bye and/or making a deep run once they get into October are obviously dealt a hit by the loss of one of the game’s best starters.

This is the second Tommy John procedure of McClanahan’s career. He missed his freshman year at USF after undergoing surgery in 2016. The Rays figure to be especially cautious with his recovery as a result, although there’s a good chance he would have missed all of ’24 even if this were his first TJS.

McClanahan has just under three years of major league service. He’ll be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player next offseason. The Rays will need to carry him on their 40-man roster during the offseason but will immediately place him back on the 60-day IL next spring. He’ll collect service time while rehabbing and remains on track to first reach free agency after the 2027 campaign.

Manuel Margot To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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The Rays announced that outfielder Manuel Margot has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to loose bodies in his right elbow. He will have surgery tomorrow with an expected recovery timeline of three to four weeks, though they say more will be known after the procedure has been completed. Infielder Jonathan Aranda has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

The news is fairly unexpected, as Margot has been playing regularly, including taking five plate appearances just yesterday. But it’s possible that the issue has been dragging him down in recent weeks. At the end of June, he was hitting .260/.318/.378 for a wRC+ of 98, but his line since then is a paltry .213/.238/.279 and a 44 wRC+.

Margot is a glove-first outfielder but has been roughly league average at the plate in recent years. From 2020 to 2022, he hit .264/.320/.375 for a wRC+ of 99. He was right in line with that pace in the first half of the season but fell off steeply in the past six weeks or so, with his season-long line now at .249/.300/.354 for a wRC+ of 85.

Ideally, the procedure will allow him to heal up and get back into form for the final few weeks of the regular season and a potential postseason run. With his bat at that average-ish level, he can be a serviceable player overall thanks to other contributions. He racked up double-digit steals in each season from 2017 to 2021 and has long been an above-average defender, with career tallies of 42 Defensive Runs Saved, 59 Outs Above Average and a grade of 19.9 from Ultimate Zone Rating. DRS has soured on him a bit this year but he still has +4 OAA for the campaign.

With Margot out of action, the Rays figure to use Jose Siri, Josh Lowe, Luke Raley and Randy Arozarena as their regular outfield rotation, with Aranda and Harold Ramírez capable of stepping in at times as well. Their 72-49 record has them three back of the Orioles in the AL East but currently in possession of the top Wild Card spot in the league.

Rays Select Jacob Lopez

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The Rays announced they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Jacob Lopez. It’s the first major league call for the 25-year-old southpaw. Tampa Bay had openings on the active and 40-man rosters after placing Wander Franco on the restricted list.

A 26th round pick by the Giants in 2018, Lopez spent just one year in the San Francisco system. At the 2019 deadline, the Giants shipped Lopez to the Rays for outfielder Joe McCarthy, who was in Triple-A at the time. The 6’4″ hurler has never gotten much attention in perennially deep Rays’ systems, but he has quietly put together a strong minor league resume. Lopez posted a 2.51 ERA in 15 appearances between High-A and Double-A two seasons ago.

2022 proved a lost season, as Lopez spent the whole year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He went unselected in last winter’s Rule 5 draft. Assigned back to Double-A to begin this season, Lopez picked up where he left off. He posted a 2.57 ERA through 28 innings to earn a bump to Triple-A Durham towards the end of May. Over 13 starts for the Bulls, he has allowed 2.72 earned runs per nine in spite of a hitter-friendly Triple-A environment.

Between the two affiliates, Lopez carries a 2.67 ERA across 84 1/3 frames. Working almost exclusively as a starter, he has fanned an excellent 32% of opposing hitters. His 12% walk rate is high, though it’s not uncommon to see pitchers struggle with command in the immediate aftermath of a Tommy John rehab. Lopez had walked just 7.4% of batters faced two seasons ago.

It’s unclear whether Tampa Bay will deploy him as a starter or break him into the big leagues out of the bullpen. He’ll offer a multi-inning option for skipper Kevin Cash in some respect. The Rays are in the seventh of nine straight game days, though they’ll have an off day on Thursday after their upcoming three-game set (ironically, against the Giants’ organization which originally drafted Lopez).

Rays Place Wander Franco On Restricted List

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Aug. 14: The Rays made the following announcement Monday:

“The Tampa Bay Rays and Wander Franco have mutually agreed that he will go on the Restricted List and take leave from the Club for the duration of the current road trip.”

MLB has opened an official investigation into the matter, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays added in a follow-up statement:

“We support any steps taken by the league to better understand the situation. Out of respect for all parties involved, we have no further comments at this time.”

Aug. 13, 10:31PM: Franco didn’t travel with the Rays on the team plane to San Francisco for the club’s upcoming series with the Giants, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links).  The Rays declined to comment on Franco’s absence.

9:00PM: The Rays released a statement today in regard to social media posts involving Wander Franco, noting that the league has begun looking into the matter.  Earlier this afternoon, allegations of an inappropriate relationship between Franco and a minor were made on X, leading to Franco’s name becoming a trending topic as the initial posts went viral.

As per the Rays’ statement…

“During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco.  We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.”

Franco didn’t play in Tampa’s 9-2 loss to the Guardians today, and manager Kevin Cash told Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that the absence was just a rest day, as the 22-year-old Franco had played in the Rays’ previous 40 consecutive games.  Ackert writes that Franco left the dugout about midway through the game and wasn’t in the clubhouse afterward.  Rays GM Peter Bendix was in the clubhouse after the game but declined comment on the matter, while Cash said that he was “aware of this speculation” but was “not going to comment any further on that.”

Steady playing time notwithstanding, Franco hadn’t been showing any signs of slowing down, and in fact was in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season.  The shortstop had a 1.280 OPS over his last 63 plate appearances, and his overall slash line sits at .281/.344/.475 over 491 PA.  Franco also has 17 home runs, 30 steals (in 40 chances), and outstanding defensive numbers, adding up to a 4.8 fWAR that ranks fifth among all Major League position players.

Debuting during the 2021 season as the consensus top prospect in baseball, Franco finishing third in AL Rookie Of The Year voting in his first year, despite playing in only 70 games.  The Rays felt so strongly about Franco’s potential that he was signed to the biggest contract in franchise history — an 11-year, $182MM contract extension that runs through the 2032 season, with a club option for 2033.

Rays Promote Osleivis Basabe

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August 13: The Rays have now officially recalled Basabe, with left-hander Josh Fleming optioned in a corresponding move.

August 12: The Rays will promote infield prospect Osleivis Basabe to the majors prior to tomorrow’s game with the Guardians, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El ExtraBase (Twitter link).  Basabe is already on Tampa’s 40-man roster, and his first in-game appearance will mark the 22-year-old’s Major League debut.

The Rangers signed Basabe during the 2017-18 international signing period, but then dealt Basabe to Tampa Bay as part of the five-player swap that saw Nathaniel Lowe end up in Arlington.  While Lowe has gone onto become a fixture in the Rangers lineup, it’s rare to see the Rays ever come up short in a trade, and now Basabe looks like an interesting candidate for big-league infield work after a solid season at Triple-A Durham.

Basabe’s hitting took a step up during his 2022 minor league campaign at the high-A and Double-A levels, which earned him his first trip to Triple-A in 2023.  His season at Durham has resulted in a .297/.350/.427 slash line and four homers over 424 plate appearances, with 16 steals as well as 24 doubles and seven triples.  This performance has boosted his prospect stock, as MLB Pipeline (6th) and Baseball America (7th) each rank Basabe within the top seven minor leaguers in the deep Rays farm system.

Both outlets view Basabe as a 60-grade hitter with 55-grade speed, able to beat out some of the many balls that he puts into play with his excellent contact skills.  The power is a question mark, but Basabe’s approach at the plate and ability to draw walks makes him a decent offensive threat even if he might need a bit more pop to stick as a big league regular.  Defensively, Basabe is yet another Rays versatile infield prospect, as he has gotten a lot of time at shortstop, second base, and third base and played solidly well at all three spots.

Speculatively, it could be that Basabe might replace Curtis Mead on the active roster, as Mead hasn’t done much at the plate since making his own MLB debut last week.  The Rays might prefer to give Mead more regular playing time at Triple-A to get his groove back, whereas Basabe might fit more smoothly into a right-handed hitting, part-time infield role.  While the Rays are known for juggling lineups, they’ve gotten into a somewhat regular alignment of Wander Franco at shortstop, Yandy Diaz at first base, Brandon Lowe at second base, and Isaac Paredes at third, leaving little room for Mead, Basabe or anyone to really clock regular at-bats behind these established starters.

Rays Reinstate Josh Fleming, Transfer Shane McClanahan To 60-Day IL

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The Rays have reinstated left-hander Josh Fleming from the 60-day injured list, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In corresponding moves, right-hander Cooper Criswell was optioned to Triple-A while lefty Shane McClanahan has been transferred to the 60-day IL. McClanahan will now be ineligible to come back until early October, meaning he won’t return in the regular season. Manager Kevin Cash said a few days ago that it was “highly unlikely” McClanahan would return this year.

Fleming, 27, tossed 48 2/3 innings for the Rays earlier this year, allowing 4.62 earned runs per nine frames. He landed on the injured list in early June due to elbow inflammation but has now returned after just over two months. He had previously been working in a multi-inning role, making starts or serving as a bulk pitcher behind an opener. He will likely return to that role, as his four rehab outings were all two innings or longer.

The Rays have a fair amount of rotation uncertainty, with Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen already out for the year due to elbow surgery. It also seems highly likely that McClanahan could be in that category as well. As mentioned, Cash has said it’s not likely he’ll be back this year, with “everything on the table.” That includes Tommy John surgery, which would put McClanahan’s 2024 season in doubt as well. The path forward hasn’t been confirmed, but this transfer means that the best-case scenario has him returning for the playoffs in October.

The current rotation consists of Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Zack Littell, with Fleming likely factoring in as well, either via traditional starts or bulk outings. All of those guys have fairly significant injury histories, to various degrees, making rotation depth a key focus for the club going forward. Taj Bradley has been optioned to the minors and could be recalled at some point.

The Rays are 70-48 and currently possess the top Wild Card spot in the American League. They will surely be hoping to keep their remaining starters as healthy as possible for the rest of the regular season schedule and a potential postseason push thereafter.

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