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Dodgers Notes: Gonsolin, Pepiot, Smith

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Tony Gonsolin is getting closer to making his season debut. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Gonsolin got through a 30-plus pitch bullpen session today (relayed by Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Gonsolin will begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, with the expectation he’ll throw around four innings.

Gonsolin is rehabbing from an ankle sprain he suffered midway through Spring Training. Roberts indicated he’d need at least two rehab starts before he’s ready to head back to the MLB rotation. That could position him for a return towards the tail end of next week. That’d be a very welcome development, as Gonsolin worked to a 2.14 ERA through 130 1/3 innings in an All-Star season last year.

Ryan Pepiot had been expected to take Gonsolin’s rotation spot out of the gate. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he suffered an oblique strain at the end of Spring Training. It appears he’s a ways off, as Roberts said the righty is still limited to plyometric work and hasn’t yet started throwing (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). While the return timetable isn’t clear, it’s apparent that Pepiot’s progress has been slower than initially hoped.

L.A. has turned to Michael Grove with Gonsolin and Pepiot out of action. The West Virginia product was hit hard in his first two starts of the season before a strong showing on Saturday. He allowed just one run with six strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings in a win over the Cubs. Even that solid work still brought Grove to a 9.00 ERA in 13 frames this season.

The Dodgers were dealt a hit on the position player side last week. Catcher Will Smith landed on the concussion injured list retroactive to April 13. That only contains a minimum stint of seven days, meaning Smith could return as early as Thursday. The star backstop attributed the injury to a series of recent foul tips off the mask (link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Smith said he’d proceed with understandable caution given the nature of the injury but noted that he’s already working out and plans to travel with the club on their road trip spanning April 20-27.

It seems he’s on track to return without a rehab stint if all goes well, perhaps not long after he’s first eligible. The Dodgers signed Austin Wynns to a major league deal to back up Austin Barnes while Smith is out. Wynns has exhausted his minor league option years, so his stay on the 40-man roster may prove brief if the Dodgers don’t plan to carry three catchers once Smith makes his return.

Don Leppert Passes Away

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Former All-Star catcher Don Leppert has passed away at age 91, the Pirates announced this afternoon.

“We are deeply saddened to hear the news on the passing of Don Leppert,” team president Travis Williams said. “He touched many lives during his more than 40 years in baseball and was a valuable part of the Pirates’ coaching staff during the 1971 World Series winning season. Our hearts go out to his wife Daphine, and the entire Leppert family.”

An Indianapolis native, Leppert (not to be confused with a 1950’s infielder of the same name) began his professional career at age 23 in 1955. The right-handed hitter didn’t first reach the majors until 1961. As a 29-year-0ld rookie, he connected on three home runs in 22 games. Leppert appeared in 45 contests for Pittsburgh the following season. He joined the Washington Senators the next year, which proved the best season of his career. The 6’2″ backstop hit .237/.305/.375 over 73 games, earning his All-Star nod in the process.

After struggling in 50 games the following season, Leppert spent two years in Triple-A. He retired as a player after the 1966 campaign. While Leppert only appeared in 190 games through parts of four big league seasons, he earned a trip to the Midsummer Classic and kicked off a lengthy career in the professional ranks. He began managing in the Pirates’ system in 1967 and was promoted to the MLB staff the following year. Leppert would also spend time with the Blue Jays, Astros and Twins for the next couple decades.

MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Matt Manning Aiming To Return To Mound In Six Weeks

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Tigers righty Matt Manning suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last week when he was struck by a comeback liner, and the team placed him on the 15-day injured list the next day. Manning told reporters Sunday that after his x-rays were examined by multiple specialists, the agreed-upon treatment would be let the fracture heal with rest (Twitter thread via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). The alternative would’ve been to have a screw inserted to help stabilize the fracture, but both options came with recovery timelines of six weeks anyhow. He could begin a throwing program as soon as next week and is hopeful he can meet that six-week timeline.

Manning’s foot fracture is the latest in a growing line of setbacks for both Manning himself and the Tigers’ rotation at large. Manning’s career to date has been slowed by both shoulder and forearm troubles, which combined to limit him to just 85 1/3 innings between the minors and big leagues a year ago. He, along with fellow right-hander Casey Mize and lefty Tarik Skubal, was generally viewed as a the foundation of what the Tigers hoped to be their rotation of the future. Mize, however, had both Tommy John surgery and back surgery last summer. Skubal went on the injured list just prior to the trade deadline with what was originally billed as a minor forearm strain, only to undergo flexor surgery a few weeks later.

With that trio now shelved, the Tigers are looking to the quintet of Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen, Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Joey Wentz in the rotation for the time being. Rodriguez is playing out the second season of a five-year deal that has thus far not panned out. Both Lorenzen and Boyd signed one-year deals in free agency. Turnbull is looking to bounce back from his own Tommy John surgery (performed in 2021), while Wentz, a former Braves top prospect who came over in the Shane Greene trade, is merely hoping to establish himself at the big league level.

Of the Tigers’ once-touted trio of youngsters, Manning could still be the first to rejoin the team. He’ll certainly beat Mize back to the field, barring any kind of major setback, as Mize’s Tommy John procedure and back procedure both came last June. Skubal, at last check earlier this month, was doing some low-intensity throwing nearly every day but hadn’t yet built up to mound work. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the earliest he’d be able to return is late May.

Manning, a former No. 9 overall pick in the draft, climbed as high as No. 17 on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 prospect list (pre-2020) but has yet to solidify himself as a big league regular. After a brutal debut in 2021, when he was tagged for a 5.80 ERA in 85 1/3 innings, he improved to a 3.43 ERA in 63 frames last year — albeit with a middling 18.3% strikeout rate. His velocity during spring training was a point of concern, though the 93.2 mph he averaged on his heater in two regular-season starts is generally in line with the 93.5 mph he averaged last season.

Manning only turned 25 years old two months ago, so there’s plenty of time for him to get healthy and step up as a vital member of the Detroit rotation, both in 2023 and for the foreseeable future. Given the health troubles elsewhere among the team’s formerly ballyhooed  collection of pitchers, it’s all the more pivotal to the team’s outlook that he does so.

Jacob deGrom Removed From Start With Wrist Soreness, Hopes To Make Next Start

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9:16pm: deGrom met with the media after the game and downplayed the issue (relayed by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and Jeff Wilson). He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow but indicated he didn’t feel it was a series problem. deGrom said he hopes to make his next scheduled start.

8:05pm: Jacob deGrom was removed from tonight’s start in Kansas City after four no-hit innings. The Rangers later called it a precautionary decision after the superstar experienced right wrist soreness.

Texas added that deGrom will go for continued evaluation. It’s obviously too early to draw any conclusions about the issue’s severity. That the Rangers specified the removal as precautionary is a welcome development, though any arm-related issue is at least a bit concerning considering deGrom’s history. The righty was limited to 26 combined appearances during his final two seasons as a Met. Shut down midway through the 2021 season with a forearm issue, he missed the first half of last year on account of a stress reaction in his right scapula.

On the optimistic side, deGrom didn’t look any worse for wear during tonight’s appearance. He retired 12 of 14 batters, only walking one and seeing another hitter reach on an error. His final pitch of the night was a 97.9 MPH fastball that turned into a Kyle Isbel fly ball.

The Rangers are sure to provide more information in the next few days. deGrom is up to 20 2/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball with a ridiculous 32:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the first season of his five-year free agent deal. The Rangers have an off day on Thursday; if they stick with a five-man rotation, deGrom would next be lined up to pitch on Sunday against Oakland.

“I’ve Never Seen Shohei Like That”: Team Japan Manager Discusses Ohtani

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Following the success of Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic, manager Hideki Kuriyama has been making multiple TV appearances in recent weeks, one of them including the documentary sports show GET SPORTS. In the interview, Kuriyama revealed behind-the-scenes stories of Team Japan and their biggest star, Shohei Ohtani. 

Ohtani’s tournament MVP campaign showed Kuriyama and baseball fans around the world a new side of Ohtani. 

The Origin of Kuriyama and Ohtani’s Relationship
Ohtani and Kuriyama’s relationship dates back to before Ohtani entered the pros in Japan. “Since the first time I ever saw him in high school, I thought it was out of the question to have him choose between pitching or hitting,” said Kuriyama, in a 2021 interview. 

At the time, Ohtani faced pressure to choose to be a pitcher or a field player and also wanted to go to the big leagues straight out of high school. 

Kuriyama, then manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, was at the heart of negotiations to convince Ohtani to sign with the team after drafting him in 2012. Kuriyama and the Fighters made the unprecedented pitch to Ohtani to provide him with the resources and opportunities to make the two-way play work. 

They were a successful pairing, with Ohtani earning individual accolades and breaking barriers in two-way play and the Fighters winning the Pacific League pennant and the Japan Series in 2016.

The Quarterfinal vs. Italy
Japan cruised to a 9-3 win against Italy in the WBC Quarterfinal, buoyed by Ohtani’s solid start on the mound. The game against Italy was filled with moments of surprise for Kuriyama. 

The first came in the 3rd inning, where with one out and a runner at first, Ohtani laid down a bunt and got on base. The bunt sparked the scuffling Japan offense and led to a 4-run inning. 

The unexpected move stunned the sold-out Tokyo Dome crowd and Kuriyama, who did not signal for Ohtani to bunt. 

“Well, it was typical of Shohei to do something so unexpected like that. But my honest reaction was what the hell was that bunt?” Kuriyama jokingly said. “It was terrible! He couldn’t have laid down a better bunt?”

On the pitching side, Ohtani came out in the middle of the 5th inning after giving up a 2-run double. Kuriyama is known for not going to the mound when making a pitching change, but this game was different. Pitching Coach Masato Yoshii urged Kuriyama to go up on the mound for the change.

“It was my first time going up to the mound to take him [Ohtani] off,” Kuriyama said. 

What truly shocked Kuriyama was that Ohtani apologized as he walked off the mound. “It was a moment of honesty from him. Those words hit heavy. It was the first time I ever heard an apology from him during a game . . . He’s always been the type to focus on what’s next and focus on what he can do to solve the issue before making an apology.’”

The Semifinal vs. Mexico

The WBC semifinal was arguably the most dramatic game of the tournament, with Japan coming back to win in the ninth inning 6-5 on a 2-run walk-off double from Munetaka Murakami.

Ohtani ignited the comeback down 5-4 in the ninth with a lead-off double. His helmet came flying off as he ran to second, and once he reached base he fiercely urged his team to follow up. Despite his many years of managing Ohtani, it was a side of Ohtani that Kuriyama had never seen before.  

“ If you watch it over, you can see that he’s choked up on the bat ever so slightly. In over a decade of knowing him and managing him, I’ve never seen Shohei play with so much emotion. . . Then it clicked for me. THIS is what he wanted to do. To do everything in his power to try to win in a do-or-die situation.”

Kuriyama also shared what led up to the moment.

“I heard about it after the fact, but apparently, he told the bench, ’I’m going to go get a hit and get on base.’”

This wasn’t the first time Ohtani called his shot. Back in 2016, Kuriyama started Ohtani as the lead-off hitter and the starting pitcher for the first time. It was the first time in 70 years that a pitcher hit lead-off in the NPB. Ohtani responded by hitting a leadoff homer.

 “He told us [the bench] that he was going to go and hit a home run and opened the game with a lead-off home run like it was no big deal,” Kuriyama said. 

The Final vs. Team USA

The WBC championship game was another instant classic. Ohtani took the mound in the ninth to close out the game for Team Japan, who held a 3-2 lead over Team USA. 

After walking Jeff McNeil, Ohtani got Mookie Betts to ground out into a double play. With two outs in the ninth inning of a one-run game, baseball fans got their dream matchup: Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout. Ohtani struck out Trout on a nasty sweeper to win the game and delivered a third WBC title to his country. 

It wasn’t always a guarantee that Ohtani was going to pitch in the Final because of the congested tournament schedule, but the plan to close the game with Yu Darvish and Ohtani was always in the back of Kuriyama’s mind. 

“I always knew that we were going to have to face Team USA, in America, for us to win the championship. I wanted to use pitchers who have experience pitching in the US. Based on the [WBC] schedule, starting pitchers can only go once or twice. But I kept thinking of ways to let Shohei and Darvish pitch three times, and the only way to do that is starting twice in the early going and pitching in the final,” Kuriyama said.

Ohtani had not closed a game since 2016, in the clinching game of the Japan Series with the Nippon Ham Fighters. 

“Shohei is the type of player that the more homework you give him and the more you challenge him, his talent is maximized. After all this time together, there’s no doubt about that,” Kuriyama said.

Angels Outright David Fletcher

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The Angels have sent David Fletcher through outright waivers, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The infielder remains in the organization but lost his spot on the 40-man roster.

It’s the result of a sharp downturn in production from Fletcher. The Loyola Marymount product looked like a core organizational piece a few years ago. Los Angeles signed him to a five-year contract extension two Aprils back. It was a $26MM guarantee that bought out one free agent year and contained club options for two more. The hope was they’d secured an excellent defensive middle infielder with roughly league average offense.

Fletcher signed that deal on the heels of a .319/.376/.425 showing during the abbreviated 2020 season. While that was built on an unsustainable .348 average on balls in play, it brought his career line to .292/.346/.386 in just shy of 1200 plate appearances. Fletcher never hit for power but demonstrated elite contact skills and played plus defense at second base.

Unfortunately for the Halos, the righty-swinging Fletcher has seen a significant drop in his offensive production for the past couple seasons. He put up only a .262/.297/.324 line across 665 plate appearances in 2021. The following year proved challenging both from a performance and health perspective. Fletcher was nagged early in the season by a hip strain that eventually sent him to the 60-day injured list. He got into 61 games, hitting .255/.288/.333. He’d been off to a 2-16 start through this year’s first couple weeks.

Fletcher’s contact skills have remained elite. His walks have dipped the past couple years, though, and he hasn’t gotten good results on batted balls. Going back to 2021, he carries a .258/.292/.323 line in just over 900 trips to the plate. Even with continued strong grades as a keystone defender, the lackluster offense led the Angels to look elsewhere this winter. The Halos brought in Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury to add some offensive punch to the infield. They called up top shortstop prospect Zach Neto on Saturday, announcing at the time they’d optioned Fletcher back to Triple-A Salt Lake.

In conjunction with that move, they apparently also placed Fletcher on waivers. It’s no surprise he didn’t get claimed. Any team that added him would’ve had to taken on his contract. Fletcher is making $6MM both this season and next. He’ll make $6.5MM in 2025 and is due at least a $1.5MM buyout on the ’27 option. For any club to take on the nearly $20MM in guaranteed money given Fletcher’s recent struggles would have been unlikely.

There’s surely some amount of strategy in the Halos’ timing of the outright. Any player with over three years of major league service time can refuse an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency. However, players with between three and five years of service would have to forfeit any remaining guaranteed money on their contract to do so.

Fletcher entered the 2023 campaign with four years and 111 days of big league service. A player gets a full service year at 172 days, so Fletcher needed 61 days on the MLB roster this year to crack that threshold. Had he still been in the majors into early June, he’d have had the right to elect free agency while collecting the rest of his salary if the Halos wanted to take him off their 40-man roster.

By timing the outright before then, the Angels ensure Fletcher sticks in the organization. He’s obviously not going to pass on nearly $20MM in guaranteed money. He’ll accept the assignment to Salt Lake and try to hit his way back onto the major league radar.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mets Recall Brett Baty

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APRIL 17: New York officially recalled Baty and reliever Edwin Uceta. To clear active roster space, they’ve optioned Jose Butto and placed outfielder Tim Locastro on the 10-day injured list with back spasms.

APRIL 16: The Mets are planning to recall top prospect Brett Baty, per SNY’s Andy Martino. A corresponding move will be required to make room for Baty on the active roster, though no such move has been announced as of yet. Tim Healey of Newsday notes that Baty will not be active for today’s game against the A’s, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post noting that he’s set to join the club in LA tomorrow.

Baty, 23, is a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport. He made his MLB debut in an 11-game stint with the Mets last year, though he struggled to a .184/.244/.342 slash line in that brief call-up. The club initially optioned him to Triple-A ahead of Opening Day, where he had only six games of experience coming into the season, but in 9 games with Syracuse to open the season, Baty has looked to be clearly above what the Triple-A level has to offer, slashing .400/.500/.886 with five homers and nearly as many walks (7) as strikeouts (9). That phenomenal performance has continued a stellar track record as a hitter all throughout the minors for Baty, who sports a .903 OPS in 1,075 minor league plate appearances.

A third baseman by trade, Baty likely stands to benefit from Eduardo Escobar’s slow start to the 2023 season, as the 34 year old veteran has slashed just .114/.167/.227 to open the 2023 campaign. That being said, Baty has begun getting reps in the outfield in recent years in the minor leagues, leaving open the possibility he could also factor into the outfield mix alongside Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte. Daniel Vogelbach and Tommy Pham are currently in a timeshare at DH, where Baty could also receive at-bats.

Per Matt Eddy of Baseball America, Baty will be retroactively credited with service time for his time in Triple-A as he was on optional assignment for fewer than 20 days. That leaves Baty poised to receive a full year of service time in 2023, while also making the Mets eligible to receive an additional draft pick should Baty qualify via thr Prospect Promotion Incentive by placing in the top three of NL Rookie of the Year voting or top five of NL MVP voting.

White Sox Sign Luke Farrell To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed right-hander Luke Farrell to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League White Sox for now, but will presumably move to a higher level after ramping up in a delayed spring ramp-up.

Farrell, 32 in June, has pitched in each of the past six major league seasons, but rarely staying with any club for long. He’s bounced around the rosters of the Royals, Reds, Cubs, Angels, Rangers and Twins in his career. Last year, he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs and was eventually selected for a second stint on their roster. He was designated for assignment about two weeks later and was claimed by the Reds, joining that club for a second time. He was outrighted towards the end of the season and eventually elected free agency. Between the two teams, he tossed 15 innings over six appearances with a 5.40 ERA. He also tossed 60 innings in the minors with a 4.95 ERA, starting 11 of his 18 appearances.

For his career, he’s tossed 102 2/3 innings with his ERA currently at an even 5.00. He’s struck out 23.3% of batters faced with a swinging strike rate of 10.2%, but he’s also walked 11.7% of opponents while getting ground balls on just 32.4% of balls in play.

Farrell has worked both as a starter and reliever in his career. It’s unclear how the Sox intend to use him, though they have been hit with a few notable injuries in their bullpen while their starters Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger are all healthy. Their 15-day injured list currently has Liam Hendriks, Garrett Crochet and Joe Kelly on it, while Matt Foster was recently transferred to the 60-day. Farrell will get some work in at the ACL level and provide the club with some non-roster depth whenever he’s back in game shape.

Boras Corp. Baseball Arbitration Research Market Analyst Job Opening

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From time to time, as a service to our readers, MLB Trade Rumors will post job opportunities of possible interest that are brought to our attention. MLBTR has no affiliation with the hiring entity, no role in the hiring process, and no financial interest in the posting of this opportunity.

Position: Baseball Arbitration Research Market Analyst – Full-time
Location: Newport Beach, CA

Description:
Boras Corporation is seeking a full-time baseball Arbitration Research Market Analyst in Newport Beach, CA. Boras Corporation is a small business and a prominent leader in the baseball industry. A high-quality candidate will be service oriented, and innovative with the ability to interact and collaborate with the rest of our arbitration team.

Pay rate: $65,000-$75,000; DOE

Experience/education:

  • Playing experience, college or professional, preferred
  • Work experience in college baseball, professional baseball, or with an agency preferred
  • BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university, preferred

Job Duties/Job Expectations:

  • Showcase strong interpersonal skills
  • Communicate comfortably and professionally in person, in writing, and via telephone
  • Provide manager with follow-up status reports and completion reports
  • Seek and process feedback and constructive criticism from teammates and management
  • Practice good listening skills, take and follow directions, be a team player
  • Be a team player, take leadership in selected projects
  • Demonstrate assertiveness, able to defend the “whys” during team discussions
  • Be proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Applications including Keynote
  • Possess basic understanding of fangraphs, baseball-references, Statcast data, and Baseball Savant
  • Possess basic understanding on how to edit videos, and or code

Please click the link to see more about the position.

Checking In On The Rays’ Left-Handed Bats

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Back in October, just after the Rays had been bounced from the postseason, president of baseball operations Erik Neander gave a press conference and outlined some goals for the offseason. One area targeted for improvement was the club’s performance against right-handed pitching. As a whole, the team hit .234/.305/.373 against righties, leading to a 99 wRC+ that indicates they were just a hair below average.

“I don’t think it’s in us to just stand pat and assume things will get better,” Neander said at that time. Cut to April and the club apparently decided that the standing pat thing wasn’t such a bad idea after all. They made no moves this offseason to add to their lineup. In fact, they subtracted from it, as players like Kevin Kiermaier, Ji Man Choi and Miles Mastrobuoni are now on different teams. Aside from signing Zach Eflin, all the club’s offseason additions were minor leaguers, with most of those being pitchers.

The MLB offseason was generally considered to be on the robust side, with many contracts going well beyond predictions, especially for the top free agents. It’s possible that the low-spending Rays simply got priced out of whatever plans they initially drew up for the winter. Whatever the reasons, the club didn’t bring in anyone from outside the organization and is relying on internal options, at least for now. The season is still young but the early results are encouraging, as the club is 14-2 and hitting a collective .276/.364/.544 against righties for a 155 wRC+ so far. Let’s dig in on the players individually.

Brandon Lowe

In the first few years of his career, Lowe had established himself as one of the key members of the Tampa lineup. He hit 14 home runs in the shortened 2020 season and added 39 more the next year. Over those two seasons combined, he hit .253/.346/.532 for a wRC+ of 141.

Unfortunately, he was hobbled in the health department last year. He made trips to the injured list due to lower back issues and a triceps contusion. He only got into 65 games and produced a diminished .221/.308/.383 slash line when on the field for a 104 wRC+. Early indications suggest that Lowe has put those injuries behind him, as he is off to a great start. He has five home runs in his first 14 games and is currently batting .310/.442/.690 for a 215 wRC+.

Wander Franco

Franco’s arc is fairly similar to Lowe’s. His track record in the majors isn’t as long, but he was considered the top prospect in the sport for quite a while and then performed well in 2021 while only 20 years old. But the switch-hitter was also snakebitten in 2022, making trips to the IL due to a quad strain and wrist discomfort. He only got into 83 games and hit .277/.328/.417 for a wRC+ of 116, still above average but not elite. But like Lowe, he seems to be healthy and in a good groove here this year. He already has four long balls and is batting .318/.366/.621 for a wRC+ of 176.

Taylor Walls

The switch-hitting Walls has always hit well in the minors but hasn’t been able to translate it to the majors. Coming into this year, his career batting line was .182/.281/.288. He’s off to a strong start here in 2023 though, batting .281/.378/.469 through 37 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 144.

Francisco Mejía

Mejía isn’t off to the same blazing start as some of his teammates. The switch-hitting catcher is batting just .167/.276/.208 through his first 29 plate appearances. He and Christian Bethancourt have been splitting the catching duties fairly evenly so far, but the right-handed-hitting Bethancourt is performing much better at the plate and could increase his share as the season goes along.

Luke Raley

Acquired from the Dodgers in a trade just prior to the 2022 season, Raley got into 22 games with the Rays last year but hit just .197/.306/.279. He’s still striking out at a 31% clip in 2023 but has hit three homers in just 13 games, leading to a .222/.310/.528 slash line and 131 wRC+.

Josh Lowe

Lowe has long been one of the club’s highly-touted prospects, having been selected 13th overall in 2016 and performing well in the minors. He got a two-game cameo in the big leagues in 2021 but struggled in his first meaningful taste of the majors. He hit .221/.284/.343 last year and struck out in 33.3% of his trips to the plate. He’s been far superior this season, cutting that strikeout rate in half to 16.7% and hitting three home runs in just 12 games. His current batting line of .359/.405/.718 amounts to a wRC+ 213.

Vidal Bruján

Long one of the club’s most significant prospects, Bruján has struggled badly against major league pitching. He had a batting line of .150/.207/.231 over 62 games coming into this year. The club was granted a fourth option for him, allowing them to send him to the minors on Opening Day, but he was called up when Jose Siri landed on the injured list. Bruján is hitting .333/.333/.333 through 15 plate appearances but has six strikeouts (a 40% rate) in that tiny sample.

Jonathan Aranda

Aranda got to make his MLB debut last year but didn’t crack the Opening Day roster here in 2023. He’s off to a nice start in Triple-A, hitting a couple of home runs for the Durham Bulls and drawing walks in a massive 24% of his 50 plate appearances. His current batting line is .250/.440/.444 for a 136 wRC+.

Kyle Manzardo

Manzardo isn’t yet on the 40-man roster but is one of the club’s top prospects and is playing in Triple-A, meaning a debut at some point this year is on the table. He has three home runs and a 10.4% walk rate for the Bulls so far this year, leading to a .262/.333/.548 batting line and 115 wRC+ through 12 games.

Greg Jones

Jones is on the 40-man roster but he’s in Double-A and therefore not likely to be at the front of the line for a call-up. He’s also not forcing the issue right now, hitting .167/.189/.417 through eight games for the Montgomery Biscuits.

________________________________

All of these numbers come with small sample warnings, as the Rays have only played 16 games thus far. Also, the strength of their competition has been fairly weak, as their 13-game winning streak to start the season came against the Tigers, Nationals, Athletics and Red Sox. When they finally faced a team that’s generally considered to be a contender by squaring off against the Blue Jays this past weekend, they went 1-2.

The fact that they demolished the pitching of rebuilding clubs like the Nats and A’s doesn’t mean that we can declare the situation resolved, but it’s encouraging nonetheless. Franco and Brandon Lowe aren’t likely to sustain these torrid streaks, but it’s a good sign that they are healthy and are making the 2022 struggles seem like temporary injury setbacks. Walls can’t suddenly be declared a superstar, but he’s considered a strong defender and any offense he can provide is a nice bonus. We also can’t say that Raley and Josh Lowe have cemented themselves as successful big league hitters, but they’ve shown tremendous promise in the minors and could be getting acclimated to big league pitching. Lowe’s much-improved strikeout rate is especially positive.

As the season goes along and the Rays face stronger competition, it’s entirely possible that this picture looks less glowing. However, the games all count the same and they already have 14 wins in the bank, which makes it highly likely they stay in contention up until the trade deadline. If they need to upgrade on any of the hitters in this group, they have a very strong farm system and should be able to bolster their left-handed options by making a deal or two. But if even one or two of these early developments start to seem more real, their urgency to do so will be lessened.

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