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Rays, Taylor Walls Avoid Arbitration

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The Rays announced Wednesday that they’ve signed infielder Taylor Walls to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2026 season. In doing so, the two parties avoided an arbitration hearing. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Walls will earn a $1.4MM guarantee: a $1.35MM salary this coming season with a $50K buyout on a $2.45MM option for the ’26 campaign. The price of that option would be bumped by $50K, to $2.5MM, if Walls tallies 450 plate appearances, Topkin adds. Walls is represented by Vayner Sports.

Walls and Tampa Bay had exchanged figures last week, with the shortstop filing for a $1.575MM salary to the team’s $1.3MM submission. (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $1.3MM salary for Walls.) It’s the first trip through the arbitration process for the infielder, who’s under team control through 2027 regardless of the outcome of that 2026 option.

The 28-year-old Walls had a brutal season at the plate in 2024 but is a talented infield defender capable of handling multiple positions. In 252 plate appearances, he slashed only .183/.282/.248 with one homer, five doubles, three triples and 16 steals (in 20 attempts). Walls did continue to show a disciplined approach, walking in 12.3% of those 252 turns at the plate — right in line with his career 12.1% mark. His contact profile was sub-par, however. Walls averaged only 86.2 mph off the bat with a bleak 24% hard-hit rate, and he punched out in 26.6% of his plate appearances.

Defensive metrics are divided on Walls, who’s primarily been a shortstop (1983 big league innings) but also has ample experience at second base (524 innings) and the hot corner (419 innings). Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating think he’s a flat-out plus with the glove. DRS, in particular, credits Walls with a whopping career mark of +35 at shortstop alone (plus another 15 DRS between second and third). Statcast has generally favored his work at third base but is down on Walls at shortstop, pegging him at two outs below average in each of the past two seasons.

The Rays clearly feel Walls is better than Statcast measures him to be. At least insofar as making the plays he’s supposed to, there’s good evidence to back that up. Walls was charged with only three errors in last year’s 625 innings of defense. He made a combined eight errors across three positions in 792 innings in 2023.

Even if the Rays decline Walls’ option for the 2026 season, he’d be under team control and arb-eligible a second time. They’d likely only do so if they felt Walls comfortably projected for less than the 75% raise his option value represents — although in that scenario, he’d be a potential non-tender candidate as well.

For now, Walls is the favorite to open the 2025 season at shortstop, though he’ll have some competition from fellow middle infielder Jose Caballero. In all likelihood, one will start the year at short and the other will fill a utility role, although Osleivis Basabe could get himself back into the mix if he shows signs of a rebound from a dreadful 2024 season this spring.

The Opening Day assignment doesn’t necessarily carry as much weight as who’ll finish the season at shortstop, though. Walls, Caballero and to a lesser extent Basabe will all be in the mix, but all eyes will be on 2021 first rounder Carson Williams, whom Baseball America just this morning tabbed as MLB’s No. 11 overall prospect. Williams, regarded as a plus defender at short, posted a .256/.352/.469 slash in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting this past season, putting him about 42% better than average in that league, by measure of wRC+. The 21-year-old (22 in June) is likely ticketed for Triple-A to begin the season and could make his MLB debut at some point this summer, depending on how he fares early on.

Rays Notes: Boyle, Springs Trade, Shortstop, Soto

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The Rays swung a prominent trade with the Athletics yesterday, bringing in three players and a Competitive Balance Round draft pick in exchange for left-handers Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez.  Tampa president of baseball operations Erik Neander told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other reporters that the decision to move Springs was “really, really difficult,” and that the trade was “a situation where the A’s really stepped forward and really wanted Jeffrey.”

On paper, it was widely assumed that the Rays would be dealing from their rotation depth this winter, with Springs and Zack Littell viewed as the likeliest trade candidates since they were the two highest-paid of the rotation candidates.  The surplus is still technically in place since they still have six starters (Shane McClanahan, Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Drew Rasmussen, and Littell) on the roster, plus now Joe Boyle acquired in the Springs trade.  Berry writes that that despite all these available arms, the Rays aren’t expected to trade any more starting pitching.

“Right now, we’re looking at more starters than we have rotation spots and kind of navigating the different ways to resolve that while also knowing you can never have enough,” Neander said.

Boyle has big league experience in the form of 63 2/3 innings with the A’s over the last two seasons, but of the seven potential starters, he seems like the clearest candidate to begin the season in Triple-A.  The hard-throwing Boyle has battled his control in both the major and minors, and Neander suggested that the Rays view him as a bit of a work in progress, with plenty of potential.

“Joe Boyle is somebody that has the physicality and the stuff to fit at the front of the rotation,” Neander said.  “I think there’s signs of progress on the strike-throwing, and he doesn’t need to be a sharpshooter to be really effective….The upside, I think, is something that warrants great patience when it comes to his development.”

Trading from the rotation depth was one of the top checkpoints on Tampa’s offseason to-do list, and it remains to be seen what else Neander has in store to upgrade the roster ahead of what will be an unconventional season at George M. Steinbrenner Field rather than Tropicana Field.  In terms of lineup help, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times feels the Rays will mostly look within their organization, but they could add outfield depth and the team is “at least open to a more offensive-oriented shortstop.”

Since Wander Franco’s time with the Rays is almost surely over, Taylor Walls is penciled in as the starting shortstop, and Walls is still looking for a breakout at the plate.  Over parts of four MLB seasons, Walls has hit only .188/.288/.293 over 1243 plate appearances — Walls’ 71 wRC+ is the fourth-lowest of any player with at least 1000 PA since Opening Day 2021.

What Walls brings to the table is glovework, though public defensive metrics aren’t unanimous in their approval of Walls’ work at shortstop.  The Outs Above Average metrics has given him negative grades in each of the last three seasons and he drew negative UZR/150 scores in 2022 and 2023 before a huge +15.3 UZR/150 last season.  The Defensive Runs Saved metric, meanwhile, has given Walls +35 DRS over his 1983 2/3 career innings at shortstop.

The Rays seem to lean more towards the DRS view, as Topkin notes that the club has a “fervid appreciation” for Walls’ glovework.  As such, a trade offer or free agent opportunity would have to pass “a high bar” to inspire Tampa Bay to reduce Walls’ playing time.  Any kind of acquisition at shortstop would also be a short-term add anyway, since top prospect Carson Williams could be in line to make his MLB debut at some point later in the 2025 season.

Still, Neander and his front office can never be ruled out for making a creative move.  We saw evidence of this in early November when reports indicated that the Rays were one of the many teams who had been in contact with Juan Soto at the opening of the free agent market.  The check-in was perhaps largely but due diligence, but Topkin reports that “the Rays pitched a short-term deal…supposedly with opt-outs after each season.”

It is probably safe to assume that this offer didn’t gain much traction within Soto’s camp, but there was no harm in floating a unique offer Soto’s way to see if there was any interest.  It was just last season that several other Scott Boras clients signed shorter-term, player option-heavy contracts after not finding the long-term deals they were hoping to land in free agency, though there was much less chance that Soto would come up short in his bid for a record-setting contract.

Rays Designate Harold Ramirez For Assignment

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The Rays have designated corner outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramirez for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infielder Taylor Walls, who is being reinstated from the 60-day injured list now that his rehab from last October’s hip surgery has been completed.

Ramirez, 29, was a semi-regular with the Rays in 2022-23, particularly versus left-handed pitching. He appeared in 242 games and in 869 plate appearances logged a strong .306/.348/.432 batting line. Ramirez has more gap power than home run power (43 doubles, two triples, 18 homers in that time) but was a strong bat in a relatively limited role. He’s played both outfield corners and first base in the big leagues but is considered a defensive liability at all three spots. The Rays have used him primarily as a designated hitter.

This season has seen a precipitous drop in Ramirez’s production, however. His .268 average remains a solid mark, but Ramirez’s free-swinging approach has produced fewer walks than ever (1.8%), leading to a paltry .284 OBP. He’s also seen his limited power completely erode. In 169 plate appearances, he has just one homer and three doubles. Overall, Ramirez’s .268/.284/.305 slash is about 27% worse than league-average production, by measure of wRC+.

Ramirez is still hitting .310 against lefties this year in a small sample of 58 plate appearances. However, he hasn’t taken even one walk against a southpaw and is slugging only .379 against them. He’s essentially been a good short-side platoon singles hitter who lacks defensive value and, as importantly, lacks minor league options.

With Amed Rosario hitting quite well in an infield/outfield role and Jonny DeLuca offering far more value on the defensive end of things, the Rays opted to jettison Ramirez in order to get Walls and his versatile, slick-fielding glove back on the roster. Rosario, DeLuca, Walls and catcher Alex Jackson will comprise the Rays’ bench group for the time being. Ramirez has largely been squeezed out by DeLuca and 27-year-old Richie Palacios, whom the Rays acquired via trade this winter (DeLuca from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow deal, Palacios from the Cardinals for Andrew Kittredge). Palacios has gone on to bat .262/.355/.369, and his versatility has allowed the Rays to begin to rotate Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe through the DH spot.

Ramirez himself was an oft-discussed trade candidate over the winter. Between his dwindling club control (through 2025), rising price in arbitration ($3.8MM this season) and extreme defensive limitations, he stood as a trade or even non-tender candidate. The Rays typically prefer to find this type of player/skill set early in his pre-arbitration seasons and then flip them elsewhere as that price tag climbs. But despite Ramirez’s quality results at the plate in 2022-23,the market clearly offered tepid enthusiasm for him. Tampa Bay reportedly shopped him prior to the non-tender deadline and again in spring training but never found a deal.

Because of his $3.8MM salary, Ramirez is unlikely to be claimed on waivers if he gets there. It’s unlikely that any potential trade partner would take on the remainder of his contract, but the Rays could perhaps facilitate a swap if they’re willing to pay down some of the money still owed to Ramirez. If Ramirez does reach waivers and ultimately clear, he surpassed five years of major league service time last month, giving him the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while still retaining his entire salary.

Ramirez would surely go that route, and at that point there’d presumably be many teams interested in bringing him aboard, perhaps even on a big league deal that would land him right on a major league roster. He is, after all, a lifetime .322/.357/.455 hitter against left-handed pitching and can be controlled into next season if he can get back on track at the plate. Ramirez would only be owed the prorated league minimum for any time spent on his new team’s MLB roster. That number would be subtracted from what the Rays owe him, but Tampa Bay is going to be on the hook for the bulk of the $2.35MM he still has left on his deal.

The Rays will trade Ramirez or place him on waivers within the next five days. If he ends up on waivers, that process would take an additional 48 hours.

Rays Notes: Lowe, Walls, Ramirez

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Rays outfielder Josh Lowe has spent most of the season on the injured list after a series of injuries, including oblique, hamstring, and hip issues, prevented him from playing since Spring Training. Things began looking up for the 26-year-old when he was activated off the injured list earlier this month, but he appeared in just 14 games before being pulled from yesterday’s game against the Red Sox due to right side strain.

The strain immediately raised alarms for Lowe and the Rays given his oblique issues earlier this season, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this evening that while Lowe underwent an MRI exam to determine the severity of the issue, the results were ultimately inconclusive. Topkin suggests that an injured list placement for Lowe remains likely to ensure that he doesn’t aggravate the oblique issue that left him sidelined to open the season, although the club opted to wait until Friday to make a determination about a potential IL stint for the outfielder after Lowe told club officials this morning that he was feeling better today.

The club’s first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Lowe enjoyed a breakout season last year as he posted a strong .292/.335/.500 slash line in 501 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 131. That figure has dipped to just 108 this season, although a sample size of just 54 plate appearances is hardly meaningful enough to draw conclusions from. Whether Lowe ultimately proves to once again be the impact bat he was for the Rays in 2023 or not, another trip to the injured list would be an unfortunate turn of events for a lineup that’s already without Taylor Walls and has seen key pieces like Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz struggle in the early going this year. Richie Palacios was the club’s primary answer in right field while Lowe was out earlier this year and once again figures to handle the position in his absence should he require a trip to the injured list.

Speaking of Walls, Topkin reports that the infielder could be nearing a notable step forward in his rehab from offseason hip surgery as he’s “tentatively scheduled” to move from the Florida Complex League up to Triple-A Durham on May 30. That’s a fairly quick turnaround, as Walls first began his rehab assignment in Florida on Tuesday according to MLB.com’s Injury Tracker. The Rays have relied on Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario to handle shortstop in Walls’s absence but neither of them have the strong defensive reputation of Walls, whose +38 Defensive Runs Saves from 2021 to 2023 are sixth-best among all big league infielders despite Walls appearing in just 295 games during that time.

In other Rays news, Topkin also relays that club manager Kevin Cash told reporters yesterday that the club remains interested in right-hander Erasmo Ramirez even after designating the righty for assignment yesterday. Cash indicated that the club could look to pursue a reunion with Ramirez in the event that he isn’t claimed by another club while on waivers, noting that the club would “definitely” like him back in the fold.

The 34-year-old hurler first played for the Rays from 2015-2017 as a swing man before returning to the club midseason last year. Ramirez’s second stint with the Rays could’ve gone better, as he allowed a 5.84 ERA while striking out just 18.2% of batters faced in 49 1/3 innings of work across the past two seasons. Even so, he’s just a couple of years removed from a strong 2022 campaign with the Nationals where he pitched to 2.92 ERA in 86 1/3 frames across 60 appearances as a multi-inning relief arm for the club.

Rays Select Erasmo Ramirez

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The Rays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Erasmo Ramirez.  In corresponding moves, left-hander Jacob Lopez was optioned to Triple-A, and infielder Taylor Walls was shifted from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

Today’s move kicks off what is officially Ramirez’s third stint with the Rays.  The righty first pitched for Tampa during the 2015-17 seasons, before moving on to pitch for five other teams in a journeyman’s trek around the majors until landing again in Tampa Bay last summer.  After the Nationals released Ramirez in June, he spent only a few days on the open market before inking a minor league contract with the Rays, and he ended up posting a 6.48 ERA over 33 1/3 innings and 15 appearances at the MLB level.  He elected free agency at season’s end, but Ramirez then returned to the Rays on another minors deal in December.

Ramirez has a 4.37 ERA over 828 1/3 career innings, working as a starter, reliever, swingman, and bulk pitcher (behind an opener) over his 12 Major League seasons.  There have been plenty of ups and downs over this long career, and Ramirez’s 3.76 ERA over 254 frames with Tampa in 2015-16 essentially represents his peak.  The right-hander then struggled to a 4.85 ERA over 221 innings from 2017-21 until finding some stability working out of Washington’s bullpen, and posting an impressive 2.92 ERA in 86 1/3 innings in 2022.  Advanced metrics weren’t as impressed with Ramirez’s revival, however, and the regression wave hit when he posted a 6.41 ERA in 60 1/3 combined innings last season with the Nats and Rays.

Given how the Rays frequently cycle through pitchers at the back end of their bullpen, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Ramirez designated for assignment relatively soon, despite the extra machinations to add him to the 40-man roster.  Ramirez has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, though if that situation comes, he could also choose to remain in a familiar situation in Tampa Bay rather than test the market once again.  In the meantime, Ramirez (who turns 34 on May 2) will likely at least get some innings under his belt to officially mark his 13th MLB campaign, and give the Rays a known quantity for covering innings in the relief corps.

Walls had hip surgery back in October, and since his 60-day IL stint is backdated to the start of his initial 10-day placement, the shortstop won’t be making his 2024 debut until late May at the very earliest.  Rays manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com and other media last week that Walls hadn’t had any setbacks in his recovery, but was “just not going as quick as maybe we had originally anticipated,” creating some doubt as to when exactly Walls will be back in action.  The shortstop will still need to take part in an extended Spring Training ramp-up and then a minor league rehab assignment, so even a late May return might be optimistic given the lack of updates on Walls to date.

Rays Notes: Baz, Walls, Caminero

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The Rays got back into the win column with tonight’s 5-2 win over the Rangers.  Tampa Bay broke things open with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Isaac Paredes.  On the pitching end, Zach Eflin limited the World Series champs to one earned run on five hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings while striking out five.

With good news on the field today, the injury updates were a little more mixed, as you’ll see in this selection of Rays notes…

  • Shane Baz will be re-evaluated Thursday after manager Kevin Cash said the right-hander “felt his oblique again a little bit” after throwing a live batting practice.  Cash told MLB.com and other media that it doesn’t seem to be a major concern, though the Rays are being cautious since Baz also had a minor oblique issue in early March.  Selected 12th overall by the Pirates in the 2017 draft, Baz came to the Rays organization as part of the (infamous for Bucs fans) Chris Archer trade at the 2018 deadline, and quickly became one of baseball’s most highly-touted pitching prospects.  Baz had a 4.02 ERA over 40 1/3 innings in 2021-22 before being sidelined by arthroscopic elbow surgery and then an elbow sprain, which ultimately resulted in a Tommy John surgery in September 2022.  Since the Rays plan to ease him back into action with a limited innings count, Baz’s offseason prep has been moving at a different pace, with his oblique problems also acting some bumps in the road.  If all goes well, Baz might be able to make his return to the majors in the middle or back half of May.
  • Taylor Walls is also recovering from a significant surgery, as the shortstop had a hip procedure last October that has kept him on the injured list to begin the season.  However, Cash said the Rays’ plan to start Walls in extended Spring Training by mid-April looks to be on track after Walls got a “very good report” after a recent doctor visit.  Depending on how much time Walls needs to get ready, late May or early June looks like a reasonable start date for his 2024 debut.  The fact that Tampa Bay put him on the 10-day IL and not the 60-day IL at the start of the season indicates some hopefulness on the club’s part that Walls can indeed return before May is over.  The defensive specialist has only hit .189/.289/.304 in 991 career Major League plate appearances, though it is certainly possible the long-lingering nature of Walls’ hip problems impacted his offensive production.
  • The Rays’ Triple-A affiliate placed Junior Caminero on the seven-day injured list today (retroactive to April 1) due to a left quad strain.  The concern level was high after Caminero was forced out of Sunday’s game and had to be helped off the field, yet Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X link) indicates that the injury might not be overly serious.  Caminero is widely considered one of baseball’s best prospects, and after debuting with seven MLB games and two postseason games in 2023, the infielder is expected to contribute more to the 26-man roster after he gets some more minor league seasoning.  Caminero’s three games with Durham this season represent his only experience at the Triple-A level, and he only has 226 games of pro experience altogether.

Rays Anticipate Jose Caballero, Rene Pinto Taking Starting Roles

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Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander spoke with reporters yesterday at the opening of the team’s Spring Training camp. He addressed a pair of positions of relative uncertainty as the season approaches: shortstop and catcher.

At the former, Neander suggested the team anticipates José Caballero opening the year as the starter (link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Tampa Bay acquired the 27-year-old from the Mariners over the winter, sending outfielder Luke Raley to Seattle. Caballero had appeared in 104 games as a rookie, running a fairly modest .221/.343/.320 batting line with four homers over 280 plate appearances.

While Caballero doesn’t provide much power, he drew walks at a strong 10% clip. That allowed him to reach base fairly frequently and wreak havoc on the basepaths. Caballero stole 26 bags in 29 attempts and rated as an excellent baserunner overall. He also drew strong grades for his defense at both middle infield positions. Caballero spent more time at second base in Seattle in deference to J.P. Crawford but seems a good enough athlete to handle shortstop.

It’s a similar profile to Taylor Walls, another highly-regarded defender with minimal offensive upside. Walls, a switch-hitter, is coming off a .201/.305/.333 line with eight homers in 349 plate appearances. He was successful on 22 of 23 stolen base attempts. Walls could push Caballero for the job once he’s healthy, although he’ll begin the season on the injured list after undergoing surgery to repair a labrum tear in his right hip last October. Walls is a little behind schedule but isn’t expected to be sidelined too deep into the season.

(Neander said the team didn’t have any update on Wander Franco, who was reinstated to the roster in a procedural move at the beginning of the offseason. MLB is still awaiting the results of the legal process in the Dominican Republic after Franco was accused of sexual abuse of a minor.)

Beyond Caballero and Walls, Tampa Bay has a pair of well-regarded young infielders who could push for shortstop reps during the season. Junior Caminero is widely viewed among the top five to 10 prospects in the sport. Osleivis Basabe has never been that highly touted but is generally seen as one of the better talents in the Rays’ system.

Caminero made the jump directly from Double-A to the majors at the tail end of last season. He had a monster .324/.384/.591 showing as a 19-year-old between High-A and Double-A a year ago but has yet to play a Triple-A game. Basabe appeared in his first 31 MLB contests last season. He struggled to a .218/.277/.310 showing. The 23-year-old had a stronger year at Triple-A Durham, hitting 296/.351/.426 through 94 contests.

The Rays have 12 listed infielders on their 40-man roster, although the majority of the group is better suited for positions other than shortstop. By contrast, they’re the only team carrying one catcher. René Pinto is the only backstop currently on the major league club. While they’ll obviously add someone else by Opening Day, Topkin writes in a separate piece that the Rays are happy with Pinto as their primary catcher.

Pinto, 27, had an intriguing 39-game stint last season. He connected on six homers in only 105 plate appearances. His 34:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t encouraging, but there’s a limited bar to clear offensively at catcher. The Rays, like many teams, tend to emphasize defense at the position. Pinto’s blocking metrics were subpar in limited MLB action, but he drew solid grades as a pitch framer and showcased plus arm strength.

Alex Jackson and Rob Brantly are in camp as non-roster invitees and have MLB experience. Logan Driscoll and Nick Meyer also received invites to Spring Training but have topped out at Triple-A. One of Jackson or Brantly would likely secure the backup job out of camp. Neander indicated the team would keep an eye on the market for depth additions but suggested they’re content with Pinto as the starter.

Taylor Walls Undergoes Hip Surgery

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7:53 pm: While the Rays are not prepared to say that Walls will be ready for Opening Day, his manager is “optimistic” he could be back for the start of the 2024 season, per Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times.

“If he’s running before he comes into spring training, that would be a very good sign,” said Kevin Cash. Still, the skipper cautioned that it’s too soon to know for sure: “I think we’ll know more in a month.” 

2:51 pm: The Rays announced this afternoon (as relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that shortstop Taylor Walls underwent a surgical procedure on his right hip today. The procedure aimed to relieve discomfort due to an impingement and repair a tear in the labrum of the hip. Per the Rays, Walls is expected to be ready for baseball activities in February, though his readiness for Opening Day won’t be clear until he returns to baseball activities and a timeline can be established.

It’s an incredibly unfortunate development for the Rays. Walls, 27, emerged as the club’s primary shortstop down the stretch in 2023 following the placement of star shortstop Wander Franco on administrative leave while the league investigated allegations against Franco of inappropriate relationships with multiple minors. While Walls hit well early in the season, slashing .244/.349/.481 in his first 152 trips to the plate, he struggled the rest of the way, slashing just .169/.270/.221 with a 27.9% strikeout rate over his final 197 plate appearances.

Despite that downturn in offensive production, Walls still looked to be in line for the lion’s share of time at shortstop entering next year, pending a decision on Franco’s situation. Walls, a finalist of the utility Gold Glove award in the AL, saw his glove work around the infield praised by Defensive Runs Saved (+10 DRS) but panned by Outs Above Average (-6).

The Rays have a few other options at shortstop in the event that the everyday job remains vacant headed into Opening Day. Youngsters Junior Caminero, Osleivis Basabe, and Vidal Brujan are all already on the 40-man roster, though none of the group have found success in the major leagues to this point in their careers. Caminero’s .235/.278/.353 slash line in a brief 36-PA cup of coffee was the best major-league performance among that trio by measure of wRC+. Given that reality, the club may be best served looking for an external shortstop option to provide depth at the position via free agency.

Such an addition may be easier said than done, however. After all, the Rays are already due to stretch the club’s budget in 2024, with RosterResource projecting the club for a $120MM payroll that exceeds their 2023 figure by more than $50MM. The club may have already been poised to shed salary by moving on from the likes of Harold Ramirez, Manuel Margot, and perhaps even Tyler Glasnow, but such a move seems all the more likely if the Rays are forced to commit additional resources to shortstop in 2024. Quality shortstop options are few and far between in free agency this offseason, with the likes of Amed Rosario, Paul DeJong, and Gio Urshela representing some of the best options available.

Rays Using Taylor Walls As Primary Shortstop Down The Stretch

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After being activated from the 10-day IL, Taylor Walls will become the Rays’ primary shortstop, manager Kevin Cash revealed to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Osleivis Basabe will move into a utility role around the infield.

Walls has been with the Rays organization since he was selected in the third round of the 2017 draft. He made his big league debut in 2021 and took on a regular role the following season, flashing the leather at shortstop, second, and third. While he wasn’t particularly effective at the plate, he demonstrated an aptitude for drawing walks and contributed on the basepaths, swiping 14 bags in 19 attempts during his first two seasons.

Prior to suffering an oblique strain, Walls was enjoying a mini breakout in 2023. After posting a .569 OPS and a 70 wRC+ in 196 games throughout his first two seasons, he had a .675 OPS and a 94 wRC+ across his first 79 games. Those are still below-average numbers, but they represented a significant improvement for the young infielder. On top of that, he went 20-for-21 on the bases and drew his walks at one of the highest rates in the American League. In 79 games, he accumulated 1.1 FanGraphs WAR. By naming Walls the primary starter at shortstop for the rest of the season, the Rays are expressing optimism that he’ll pick up right where he left off.

The Rays added Basabe to their 40-man roster this past November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Entering the season, he was a consensus top-15 prospect in the organization. Baseball America praised his “baseball IQ” and his “bat-to-ball skills,” although they gave his glove an average grade. MLB Pipeline also mentioned that the Rays were impressed with his “competitiveness and work ethic” in 2022.

Basabe made his MLB debut on August 13, starting at shortstop in place of Wander Franco, who has since been put on administrative leave while investigators look into allegations he’d had inappropriate relationships with multiple minors. The rookie has started at shortstop in all but two of his team’s games since. He has performed admirably, slashing .255/.327/.383 with a 103 wRC+. The 22-year-old had played only half a season at Triple-A before he was recalled. Nevertheless, he will move into a utility role now that Walls has returned to the active roster. While Basabe put up slightly above-average offensive numbers in his brief cup of coffee, Walls is the better defender and has far more experience facing big league pitching.

Walls is also a switch-hitter, thereby providing his manager with more flexibility in crafting the everyday lineup. Meanwhile, the right-handed Basabe will be able to spell Brandon Lowe at second base with a tough southpaw is on the mound. Lowe has a .536 OPS against left-handed pitching this season.

The Rays will need every advantage they can get in September, as they fight a close battle with the Orioles for the AL East crown. They currently sit 1.5 games back in the division with four games remaining against Baltimore. As Jeff Passan and Juan Recio reported for ESPN, it appears unlikely Franco will return this season with the investigations expected to last into the winter. Thus, Walls will take on a new challenge, becoming the Rays’ starting shortstop in the heat of a division race. The Rays will hope he’s up for the task.

Rays Place Taylor Walls On 10-Day Injured List

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The Rays placed infielder Taylor Walls on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.  The placement is retroactive to July 21.  Vidal Brujan was called up from Triple-A to take Walls’ place on the active roster.

One of the many multi-position players on Tampa Bay’s roster, Walls’ versatility and solid defense has been an asset, as he has toggled between second base, third base, and shortstop this season.  The majority of Walls’ playing time has come against right-handed pitching, but the switch-hitter has had much better numbers against southpaws — an .854 OPS in 73 plate appearances against left-handers, as opposed to a .603 OPS in 205 PA against righties.

Any kind of production is welcome considering that Walls hit only .183/.281/.288 over 642 PA during the 2021-22 seasons, his first two MLB campaigns.  Some big numbers in the first six weeks of the 2023 season made it seem like Walls was poised for a breakout, but a long cold streak has put his season-long slash line at .211/.315/.360 over 279 PA.  That translates to a 96 wRC+, and if Walls can at least establish a floor for himself of near-average offense and multi-positional defensive value, he’ll certainly continue to find a place for himself in the majors.  His offensive profile also consists of an excellent walk rate, and very strong baserunning ability — Walls has stolen 20 bases in 21 attempts this season.

Even on a Rays team that seemingly has good young infielders constantly coming up the minor league pipeline, Walls’ semi-emergence has earned him regular duty on a World Series contender.  Unfortunately, this oblique strain will now put a halt to Walls’ playing time, and the severity of the injury has yet to be revealed.  A Grade 1 strain would likely sideline Walls for a few weeks, while a higher-grade strain could potentially threaten his season altogether.

Brujan is also a switch-hitting utilityman, so he figures to step right into Walls’ role in the second base/third base mix.  Jonathan Aranda is also at Triple-A, and the Rays could potentially call on any of Curtis Mead, Greg Jones, or Osleivis Basabe if they feel any of the infield prospects are ready for their MLB debuts.  Depending on the severity of Walls’ injury and what options are available at the trade deadline, Tampa could possibly pursue some more infield depth prior to August 1.  Given the Rays’ woeful 4-12 record in July, even a bigger-name position player addition might be required to spark a team whose big lead in the AL East has evaporated.

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