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Chris Devenski

Mets Select Chris Devenski, Place Danny Young On IL With Elbow Sprain

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The Mets announced today that they have selected right-hander Chris Devenski from Triple-A Syracuse. He takes the active roster spot of left-hander Danny Young, who has been placed on the 15-day IL with a left elbow sprain, retroactive to April 27th. Left-hander Brooks Raley has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Devenski.

The moves suddenly leaves the Mets with no lefties in the bullpen. Young and A.J. Minter are the only lefty relievers to have pitched for the Mets this season. Minter landed on the 15-day IL due to a lat strain a few days ago and there’s a chance he’ll require season-ending surgery. It’s unclear how long Young is going to be out of action but an injury to a pitcher’s throwing elbow is always somewhat concerning.

Raley was just officially signed yesterday. He is recovering from last May’s Tommy John surgery. The fact that the Mets have immediately placed him on the 60-day injured list suggests that they don’t expect him to be with the big league club in the next two months. Brandon Waddell was added to the roster today to serve as a bulk guy behind opener Huascar Brazobán tonight and may return to Triple-A after.

Some of their righties have reverse splits and may be deployed as pseudo lefty specialists. For instance, lefties have a career .165/.304/.239 line against José Buttó, while righties have hit .237/.314/.385 against him.

Devenski, 34, fits into that category as well. Righties have hit .247/.305/.429 against him in his career but he’s held lefties to a .211/.268/.385 slash. He’s a few years removed from his best results, however. He logged 189 innings for the Astros over 2016 and 2017 with a 2.38 earned run average, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Since then, he has a 5.42 ERA in 211 innings for various teams. He had a 6.75 ERA with the Rays last year, which is why he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Mets coming into 2025.

He’s out to a good start this year, in a sense, as he has a 1.93 ERA through 9 1/3 Triple-A innings. However, a look under the hood reveals some less impressive numbers. His 20% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate thus far are both subpar numbers. He’s been helped by a .136 batting average on balls in play and 100% strand rate. He has kept the ball on the ground at a 65.2% clip but that’s never been a strength of his over a large sample.

Regardless, Devenski will come up and give the Mets a fresh bullpen arm for the time being. Tonight is their sixth of 13 straight games, leading to heavy usage of the pitching staff. That’s part of the reason why Waddell is coming up to make a spot start and Devenski will try to help the club get through as well.

Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images

Mets, Chris Devenski Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mets and right-hander Chris Devenski are in agreement on a minor league deal, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. The righty also receives a camp invite and will be competing for a job in next year’s spring training.

Devenski, 34 in November, has had an up-and-down career but is coming off a rough campaign. The Rays signed him to a one-year deal with a $1.1MM guarantee after getting a good look at him late in 2023. After being cut loose by the Angels, the Rays signed Devenski at the end of August last year. He posted a 2.08 earned run average over his nine appearances in Tampa so they decided to bring him back.

While the Rays are known for their savvy under-the-radar pickups, this one didn’t work out. Devenski tossed 26 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2024 but with a 6.75 ERA. His 19.7% strikeout rate, 11.5% walk rate and 25% ground ball rate were all below league averages. He missed about a month from late April to late May, going on the injured list due to right knee tendinitis. He was designated for assignment and released at the end of June.

He was then signed by the Mariners and spent the final months of 2024 with Triple-A Tacoma. He was able to finish his 2024 with a strong showing there in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, throwing 23 innings with a 2.35 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate.

The Mets are presumably intrigued by that performance with Tacoma, though the veteran’s longer track record may play a role as well. He had a dominant showing with the Astros to start his career, tossing 189 innings over 2016 and 2017 with a 2.38 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate.

But as mentioned, his career has been up-and-down, and those highs were followed with some serious lows. Over 2018 and 2019, he tossed another 116 1/3 innings for Houston but with an ERA of 4.56 in that time. His 6.9% walk rate was still good but his strikeout rate dipped to 24.9%. Elbow soreness limited him to just four appearances in 2020 and he eventually required Tommy John surgery in 2021. His attempts to get back on the mound in 2022 and 2023 were largely unsuccessful before his aforementioned stint with the Rays late last year.

Devenski has a 6.46 ERA since the start of 2020 but was injured for a lot of that. He showed some promise with the Rays late last year and with the Rainiers more recently. There’s no real risk for the Mets on a minor league deal, so they’ll take a look at what Devenski has come spring.

President of baseball operations David Stearns did plenty of tinkering with the bullpen this year. He gave one-year deals to Adam Ottavino, Jake Diekman, Shintaro Fujinami, Jorge López, Michael Tonkin and Austin Adams last winter as well as several minor league deals. As the season progressed, many of those guys ended up losing their roster spots while guys like Phil Maton, Huascar Brazobán, Ryne Stanek and others were acquired from other clubs. Ottavino and Stanek are now about to hit free agency with Maton likely joining them if the Mets turn down his club option. The 2024 Mets were only eliminated about a week ago and the World Series is still ongoing, but the club has already made one move to provide some bullpen depth for next year.

Nine Players Elect Free Agency

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As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com log.

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Mariners Outright Chris Devenski

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Chris Devenski has been sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma. There was no previous indication he had been removed from their 40-man roster but they evidently passed him through waivers in recent days. Their 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Devenski, 33, was signed by the Mariners at the start of July after being released by the Rays. Though he is a veteran with enough service time to decline an optional assignment, he apparently consented as he has been with Triple-A Tacoma for the past few weeks. He made six appearances there and allowed two earned runs.

The M’s presumably have other uses in mind for that roster spot, so they bumped Devenski off. They have already been aggressive in upgrading their offense and bullpen, having acquired Randy Arozarena, Justin Turner and Yimi García in recent days. They’ve been connected in rumors to guys like Tanner Scott and Yandy Díaz, so perhaps more roster shake-up is forthcoming.

As for Devenski, he has more than enough service time to reject this outright and elect free agency, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so. Heading to the open market would make some sense, since plenty of clubs will have roster openings after the musical chairs of the deadline plays out.

He was once quite a dominant reliever with the Astros, though he’s a few years removed that performance now. Over 2016 and 2017, he had a 2.35 earned run average in 189 innings for Houston. He struck out 28.2% of batters faced and only gave out walks at a 6.4% clip. Injuries in the coming years, including Tommy John surgery, seemed to hamper his results. His ERA was a combined 4.56 in 2018 and 2019 then a ghastly 9.47 for the 2020-22 seasons.

He then had a pretty unimpressive start to his 2023 season, with a 5.08 ERA with the Angels. But that season finished strong as he had a 2.08 in nine appearances for the Rays. That prompted Tampa to re-sign him but he then had a 6.75 ERA this year, leading to his release and then his deal with the Mariners.

Mariners Select Seby Zavala, Sign Chris Devenski

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Seby Zavala, with left-hander Jhonathan Díaz optioned to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move. Additionally, the M’s have signed right-hander Chris Devenski to a major league contract, though Devenski will report to Tacoma. Seattle had three vacancies on their 40-man roster coming into today, so their count is now at 39.

Zavala, 30, was acquired as part of the Eugenio Suárez trade back in November. He was used as a glove-first backup catcher for a while with Cal Raleigh getting the bulk of the playing time. The M’s had also signed Mitch Garver but with the idea of using him primarily as a designated hitter, though Garver started playing behind the plate more as the season wore on.

That left just 43 plate appearances for Zavala through the middle of June. He hit .154/.214/.282 in that limited time while striking out at a 37.2% rate. As Garver started donning the tools of ignorance, Zavala was designated for assignment and outrighted off the roster. He had the right to elect free agency at that time but stuck with the M’s and is now back in the bigs.

His selection is likely due to Garver’s status, as he was hit by a pitch on his right wrist on Sunday. He was catching that game with Raleigh in the DH slot, but Raleigh moved behind the plate in the third inning as Garver departed, leaving the M’s to play without a DH for the rest of the game.

Per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com on X, Garver is feeling better but still sore and is “going to go feel it out,” in Garver’s words. Since he is seemingly unavailable, at least for a few days, the club was going to be left with just Raleigh and no backup catcher, which prompted Zavala’s return. Once Garver is healthy, Zavala might get squeezed out again since he is out of options.

Devenski, 33, was just released by the Rays last week but has quickly landed a new gig. As a veteran with more than five years of service time, he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. Since the M’s announced that he will report to Tacoma, perhaps he has given his consent, unless that’s just an on-paper move until he reports to the club.

The righty was having a rough season with the Rays, tossing 26 2/3 innings with 6.75 earned runs allowed per nine. His 19.7% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate were both below average, leading Tampa to cut him loose.

The M’s clearly have some kind of idea for getting him back on track. He was once a dominant reliever with the Astros, throwing 189 innings with that club over 2016 and 2017 with a 2.35 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. But he struggled in the following years and missed time due to injuries, including Tommy John surgery. He had a 4.56 ERA over 2018 and 2019 and then a 9.47 ERA from 2020 to 2022.

He seemed to show a bit of life last year, with 42 1/3 innings between the Angels and Rays. He had a 4.46 ERA in that time, as well as a 24.3% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. The Rays were encouraged enough to bring him back for 2024 with a $1.1MM guarantee, in the form of a $1MM salary this year and $100K buyout on a 2025 option.

But now that Devenski has been released, the Rays are left on the hook for that money. The M’s will only owe him the prorated version of the major league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Rays pay.

The M’s have taken some hits in their bullpen this year, with each of Matt Brash, Gregory Santos, Jackson Kowar and Gabe Speier currently on the injured list, with Brash and Kowar done for the year due to Tommy John surgery. There’s little harm on taking a low-cost flier on Devenski to see if he can help make up for those losses by returning to form.

Rays Release Chris Devenski

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The Rays have released right-hander Chris Devenski after designating him for assignment last week, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’s now a free agent.

Any team can now sign Devenski to a big league or minor league deal. A new club would only be responsible for the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on the big league roster/injured list. That number would be subtracted from what the Rays owe, but Tampa Bay is on the hook for the bulk of the remainder of his $1.1MM salary.

Devenski, 33, joined the Rays late in the 2023 season after being cut loose by the Angels and tossed 8 2/3 sharp innings down the stretch, holding opponents to a pair of runs on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. He added another two shutout innings (one hit allowed) during the postseason. The Rays re-signed him to a big league deal over the winter, but Devenski hasn’t replicated that small-sample success this time around.

In 2024, Devenski pitched 26 2/3 innings in 19 appearances out of the bullpen, yielding a gloomy 6.75 ERA with a below-average 19.7% strikeout rate against a weighty 11.5% walk rate. He’s also been immensely homer-prone, surrendering nine long balls in his brief stint — an average of 3.04 homers per nine innings pitched.

Early in his career, Devenski was a powerhouse reliever for the Astros, pitching to a 2.38 ERA in 189 innings of relief from 2016-17 and striking out 28.2% of opponents versus a 6.4% walk rate. His results have taken a notable step back since that time, in part due to injuries. Most notably, Devenski underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, limiting him to 7 1/3 innings that season and just 33 2/3 innings the following season.

Devenski’s bread and butter has long been a plus changeup that helps him neutralize left-handed opponents. It’s given him reverse splits throughout his career, and that’s carried into the 2024 season. He’s held lefties to a .211/.262/.439 slash in 61 plate appearances this season. In an identical number of plate appearances, however, righties have torched him with a .314/.426/.745 batting line.

Rays Designate Chris Devenski For Assignment

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The Rays announced that they have recalled right-hander Edwin Uceta from Triple-A Durham. Fellow right Chris Devenski was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, dropping their 40-man roster count to 39. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relayed the info on X prior to the official announcement.

Devenski, now 33, has had an up-and-down career but seemed to be in decent form with the Rays last year. After being let go by the Angels, he signed with Tampa at the end of August and finished 2023 with a 2.08 earned run average in nine appearances for the Rays. That was enough for the Rays to re-sign him for 2024, as the two sides agreed to a one-year deal with a $1.1MM guarantee, in the form of a $1MM salary and a club option for 2025 with a $100K buyout.

Unfortunately, Devenski hasn’t been able to carry those results over this year. He has been working a multi-inning role out of Tampa’s bullpen, tossing 26 2/3 frames over 19 appearances this year, but having allowed 6.75 earned runs per nine. His 19.7% strikeout rate, 11.5% walk rate and 25% ground ball rate have all been subpar.

The righty is a veteran with far more than five years of major league service time, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. Based on his poor results overall, and the fact that he threw 43 pitches last night while only recording two outs, the Rays figured they could make better use of his roster spot and had to remove him from the 40-man entirely.

The Rays will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers, though it’s unlikely any club would have much interest as acquiring Devenski would involve taking on what’s left of his salary and the buyout on that option. Since he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment, he’s should end up a free agent at some point in the next week.

He may garner more interest at that point, as the Rays would still be on the hook for what’s left of his contract, while any other club could sign him and only pay him the prorated version of the league minimum for any time spent on the roster.

Devenski had a strong run early in his career but has struggled more recently. In 2016 and 2017, he tossed 189 innings for the Astros with a 2.35 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. His results took a step back in the subsequent seasons and he ended up missing a decent chunk of time due to injuries, including Tommy John surgery. He has a 5.42 ERA since the start of 2018 and a 6.46 ERA since the start of 2020.

As recently as last year, he was in decent form. Between the Angels and Rays, he had a 4.46 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. The Rays were willing to take a shot on that bounce-back but it didn’t play out. Given the slate of pitcher injuries around the league, perhaps some other club will take a low-cost gamble on him in the weeks to come.

Rays Place Josh Lowe On 10-Day Injured List

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The Rays announced that outfielder Josh Lowe has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain, with a retroactive placement date of May 23.  In the corresponding move, right-hander Chris Devenski has been activated from the 15-day IL after missing almost exactly a month due to tendinitis in his right knee.

Lowe made an early exit from Wednesday’s game because of what was described at the time as a right side strain, though a follow-up MRI didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary.  Nevertheless, it isn’t surprising that the Rays will be cautious and send Lowe to the IL given that he already missed over a month of the season with another oblique strain.  Between that first oblique strain and hip inflammation, Lowe missed most of Spring Training and didn’t make his season debut until May 6.

In between his two trips to the IL, Lowe hit .240/.296/.440 with two homers over 54 plate appearances.  This translated to a respectable 108 wRC+, though it was still well below the 131 wRC+ Lowe delivered while hitting .292/.335/.500 with 20 homers and 32 stolen bases over 501 PA in 2023.  Tampa Bay was hoping Lowe would again be a big contributor to the lineup, and his absence for much of the season has been a factor in the Rays’ overall underwhelming offensive performance.

Lowe had been receiving regular center-field duty against right-handed pitching, but the combination of Jose Siri and Jonny DeLuca (both right-handed batters) should again handle the bulk of center field work while Lowe is away.  Randy Arozarena made a few appearances in center field earlier this week and might again factor into the mix depending on how the Rays shuffle their outfield at-bats.  Harold Ramirez’s playing time diminished when Lowe and Jonathan Aranda returned from the IL, but with Lowe again sidelined, Ramirez might again get some work on the grass if Arozarena is shifted into center field on at least a part-time basis.

Devenski has allowed five homers in only 14 innings pitched this season, resulting in a 7.71 ERA for the veteran reliever.  Keeping the ball in the park has long been a challenge for Devenski throughout his career, though he showed some improvement in this regard after he first signed with the Rays last August, while posting a 2.08 ERA in nine appearances and 8 2/3 innings with the team.  This was enough for Tampa to re-sign Devenski to a one-year, $1.1MM free agent deal this past winter, but the club hasn’t yet gotten much return on even that modest contract.

Rays Notes: Lowe, Pepiot, Poche, Devenski

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The Rays are close to getting a major piece of their lineup back from the injured list, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays that club manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Brandon Lowe is restarting his rehab assignment this weekend and could return to the big league roster as soon as Monday if all goes well in his final rehab outings.

Lowe made it into just eight games this season before being sidelined by an oblique injury but has been one of the club’s most reliable hitters since he made his debut back in 2018, as evidenced by the career .245/.334/.484 slash line he carried into the 2024 campaign. That includes two monster seasons in 2020 and 2021 that saw him earn downballot MVP consideration, but he’s remained a valuable hitter in recent years even as he’s not regained that elite peak offensive form; in 2023, the then-28-year-old slashed a solid .231/.328/.443 with 21 homers.

The Rays are surely hoping that Lowe can provide the club with a spark offensively, as the AL’s best offense from 2023 has scuffled a bit in 2024. They’ve posted a collective wRC+ of just 101 this year, down 17 points from last year and good for just 14th in the majors to this point in the year. Those relative struggles have been thanks primarily to down seasons from key contributors like Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena to this point in the season. Richie Palacios and Amed Rosario have filled in admirably for Lowe in his absence, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Rays look to work both players into the lineup on a semi-regular basis even upon Lowe’s return.

Also nearing a return from the shelf is right-hander Ryan Pepiot, who has been on the shelf since May 8 after being struck by in the leg by a comebacker. Pepiot’s return will be greatly appreciated for the Rays, as he’s pitched to a strong 3.68 ERA and 3.64 FIP through seven starts with the Rays in his first season as a regular in the rotation. Prior to being swapped to the Rays this past winter in the Tyler Glasnow deal, Pepiot had shown flashes of his impressive ability with the Dodgers, for whom he pitched to a 2.76 ERA in 78 1/3 innings split between the 2022 and ’23 seasons.

In Pepiot’s absence, the Rays have relied on Taj Bradley and Tyler Alexander to fill out the club’s rotation alongside Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, and Zack Littell. Bradley has looked excellent in his two starts since being activated, with a 2.45 ERA and 3.04 FIP in 11 frames. Alexander, on the other hand, has generally struggled while swinging between the rotation and the bullpen with the Rays but carried a perfect game into the eighth innings of his most recent start against the Blue Jays, ultimately throwing 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball on three hits, no walks, and four strikeouts.

Not all the injury news has been positive for the Rays, however. Topkin relays that Cash indicated to reporters today that the Rays still have no clear timeline for return regarding left-hander Colin Poche, who has been on the shelf for nearly a month now due to mid-back tightness. The 30-year-old southpaw was one of Tampa’s most important relievers last year as he pitched to a sterling 2.23 ERA with a 3.34 ERA and a 24.8% strikeout rate in 60 2/3 innings of work. Unfortunately, he struggled badly this season in ten appearances prior to being placed on the injured list, as he allowed seven runs in 9 1/3 frames on 12 hits and three walks while striking out six. Poche’s uncertain return date, according to Cash, contributed to the club’s decision to acquire left-hander Richard Lovelady from the Cubs earlier today in exchange for southpaw Jeff Belge.

While Poche appears to be nowhere near a return, the same isn’t true of veteran right-hander Chris Devenski, who has been on the shelf since late April due to a bout of knee tendinitis. Topkin notes that the veteran right-hander has begun a rehab assignment at Triple-A, though he notes that according to Cash the righty will need “at least” one more rehab appearance before the club considers bringing him back up to the big leagues. Cash also indicated that the Rays have not yet decided whether they’ll have Devenski take a longer rehab assignment in order to stretch him out for multi-inning relief or simply promote him to the majors as soon as he’s ready to contribute in shorter bursts. Devenski pitched to largely average results between the Angels and Rays last year, with a 4.46 ERA in 42 1/3 innings of work despite a solid 3.96 FIP.

Tyler Alexander To Begin Season In Rays’ Rotation; Team Still Considering Bench Additions

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Left-hander Tyler Alexander has won the final spot in the Rays’ rotation, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’ll actually pitch the fourth game of the season, with Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Zack Littell expected to line up for the first three and Ryan Pepiot apparently taking the fifth game. Topkin adds that Alexander could pitch behind an opener, but for all intents and purposes, he’s the final rotation member, beating out righties Jacob Waguespack and Chris Devenski. Waguespack and Devenski will be in the Rays’ bullpen. Also of note, Topkin reports that the Rays still haven’t decided on their backup catcher and final bench spot and could consider external options for either.

Alexander, 29, came to the Rays by way of a Nov. 10 waiver claim after the Tigers designated him for assignment. He entered camp expected to stretch out to three innings in order to serve as a long reliever — same as Devenski — but the pectoral strain suffered by young righty Taj Bradley opened up a rotation job that Alexander has now seized.

Starting is a familiar role for the left-hander, as Alexander has started 43 games in his MLB career — all coming with the Tigers. He started 32 games from 2021-22, at times functioning as an opener but also stretching out to a full starter’s workload. He’s completed six innings on seven different occasions in his career and has three starts of seven-plus innings. In all, Alexander has pitched 199 innings as a starter. He’s recorded a 4.70 ERA, 17.4% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in that time, as compared to a 3.92 ERA, 21.1% strikeout rate and 4.4% walk rate in 142 1/3 frames out of the bullpen.

Alexander has pitched well this spring. He’s tossed nine innings in official games and yielded just two runs on a dozen hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Alexander worked six innings and climbed to 89 pitches in a minor league game Sunday, per Topkin — numbers that aren’t reflected in his “official” spring statistics.

The Rays’ rotation is fluid enough right now that an early assignment in the rotation shouldn’t at all be viewed as a season-long spot on the staff. Alexander has a pair of minor league options remaining, and the Rays will be getting various pitchers back from injury as the year progresses. In addition to Bradley, whose timetable is still TBD, the Rays will also welcome back right-hander Shane Baz (2022 Tommy John surgery), left-hander Jeffrey Springs (April 2023 Tommy John surgery) and Drew Rasmussen (July 2023 internal brace surgery) at various points this season.

That said, injuries elsewhere in the rotation are an inevitability. Eflin has dealt with chronic knee injuries dating back to his amateur days. Civale has never reached even 125 innings in an MLB season due to frequent IL trips. Littell only just converted back to the rotation last summer, and Pepiot opened the 2023 season on the 60-day IL with the Dodgers due to a Grade 2 oblique strain. He pitched only 64 2/3 innings between the majors and minors combined. There should be innings to go around, if Alexander proves he’s up for the challenge.

The Rays can control Alexander through the 2025 season via arbitration. A successful season making starts would bode well for his arbitration outlook in a way that a season spent primarily in a swingman/mop-up role would not. He’s earning $1.95MM this year, so even if he steps up as a legitimate MLB starter, he won’t break the bank next winter.

As for the remaining bench spots, Topkin’s report on that front is plenty notable. The Rays already reassigned Francisco Mejia to minor league camp, leaving non-roster invitee Alex Jackson as the favorite to take the backup job behind Rene Pinto. That’s been the plan for much of the offseason, but Jackson also owns a woeful 48% strikeout rate in 192 MLB plate appearances and entered Monday’s Grapefruit League game hitting just .194/.235/.226 with a 32.4% strikeout rate in 34 plate appearances. To his credit, he went 2-for-2 and swatted his first spring homer, but Jackson has no MLB track record of which to speak and also hasn’t been particularly productive in Triple-A.

As for the final infield spot, Topkin lists 26-year-old Austin Shenton as a candidate. He’s yet to make his MLB debut but posted a massive .304/.423/.584 line with 29 homers and 45 doubles between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He’s had a poor showing this spring, however, hitting just .205/.225/.256 with a 32.5% strikeout rate in 40 trips to the plate (including today’s 0-for-4 with three strikeouts). The Rays are without infielders Taylor Walls and Jonathan Aranda to begin the season, as both are on the injured list.

There’s no shortage of veteran options and/or trade candidates the Rays could consider at either position. The Royals released veteran backstop Sandy Leon over the weekend, and out-of-options Giants catcher Joey Bart has been a speculative trade candidate for much of the spring. Infielders hitting the market late this spring include Eduardo Escobar, Elvis Andrus and old friend Matt Duffy.

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