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Erasmo Ramirez Accepts Outright Assignment With Rays

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Erasmo Ramírez accepted an assignment to Triple-A Durham after being outrighted by the Rays. Tampa Bay had designated the veteran long reliever for assignment late last week.

It’s the second DFA of the year for Ramírez. Tampa Bay ran him through waivers in late May and kept him in Durham until August 26. The Rays brought Ramírez back for a few days, getting him into two games before pulling him off the roster. Ramírez tossed two scoreless innings against the Mariners in his first outing, but the Padres tagged him for two runs on four walks across 2 2/3 frames during his second appearance.

On the season, Ramírez has tossed 20 2/3 innings across 13 low-leverage relief outings. He has a 4.35 ERA with a below-average 17.6% strikeout rate and a lofty 11.8% walk percentage. He has turned in very strong numbers for Durham, pitching to a 3.02 ERA with plus strikeout (28.6%) and walk (6.5%) numbers over 47 2/3 frames.

Ramírez is clearly comfortable with the Rays, as he has signed there on multiple occasions and now accepted a pair of outright assignments. He’ll stick around for the season’s final month and will be a free agent at year’s end. The 34-year-old will likely look for another minor league contract during the upcoming offseason.

Rays To Select Logan Driscoll, Activate Zack Littell

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The Rays are set to select the contract of catcher Logan Driscoll and activate right-hander Zack Littell from the 15-day IL today, according to a report from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The additions of Driscoll and Littell to the active rosters will not require corresponding moves due to roster sizes expanding from 26 to 28 today. Driscoll’s contract selection also won’t need a corresponding 40-man move after the club designated righty Erasmo Ramirez for assignment yesterday.

Driscoll, 26, was a second-round pick by the Padres back in 2019 but was swapped to the Rays alongside outfielder Manuel Margot in exchange for right-hander Emilio Pagan during the 2019-20 offseason. Since then, Driscoll has established himself as a solid bat-first catching prospect for the club while also getting occasional reps at first base and in right field. The lefty hitter has slashed a strong .292/.367/.473 in 294 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level this year and figures to get the opportunity to work his way into the mix behind the plate alongside the current tandem of Ben Rortvedt and Alex Jackson.

Rortvedt has largely held his own in 92 games with the Rays this year, slashing .242/.333/.329 with a roughly league average wRC+ of 98 to go along with solid work behind the plate defensively. 2024 has been a struggle for Jackson, however, as the former first-round pick has hit just .122/.201/.237 (28 wRC+) in a career-high 58 games while posting middling defensive numbers. That should open the door to a healthy amount of playing time for Driscoll, particularly if he hits well enough to justify occasional reps at first base, DH, or in the outfield on days where Rortvedt is catching. With Jackson seemingly a longshot to be retained on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason, a strong performance from Driscoll down the stretch this year could put him firmly in the mix alongside Rortvedt and Rene Pinto for a big league catching job next spring.

As for Littell, the right-hander’s return from the injured list should allow the club to move lefty Tyler Alexander back into a relief role going forward and utilize a rotation of Littell, Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot, and Jeffrey Springs down the stretch. Littell’s first season as a full-time starting pitcher has gone quite well, as the right-hander has posted a 3.89 ERA with a 4.11 FIP in 129 2/3 innings of work across 24 starts. That’s right in line with the work Littell did with the Rays last year after being acquired from Boston early in the season, as he posted a 3.96 ERA and 3.99 FIP with the Rays in 2023 while swinging between the bullpen and rotation.

Rays Place Colin Poche On 15-Day IL, Designate Erasmo Ramirez

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The Rays announced a series of roster moves today, including the news that left-hander Colin Poche was placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.  Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez was also designated for assignment, and right-handers Cole Sulser and Hunter Bigge were called up from Triple-A to fill the two spots on the active roster.  Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported on the moves shortly before the team’s official announcement, and also noted that catcher Logan Driscoll has been added to the taxi squad, perhaps in advance of a contract selection tomorrow when rosters expand to 28 players.

Poche has been a reliable bullpen arm for the last three seasons, with his excellent 2.23 ERA over 60 2/3 innings in 2023 sandwiched between 2022 and 2024 campaigns that were more solid than spectacular.  This year, Poche has a 3.67 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, and 9.4% walk rate over 34 1/3 innings for Tampa.

He missed a little over six weeks of the season due to back problems, and now this second IL stint could potentially put the rest of his 2024 campaign in jeopardy, given the lack of time remaining in the regular season.  However, Poche told Topkin that he hopes to pitch again before the year is out, and an MRI didn’t seem to reveal anything structurally wrong with his shoulder.

Sulser and Bigge will be tasked with covering the innings left over by Poche and Ramirez, who is headed to the DFA wire for the fourth time in the last 14 months.  The Rays previously designated Ramirez back in May and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster, only to select his contract again earlier this week.

Because Ramirez has a past outright on his resume, he has the ability to reject another outright assignment (if he clears waivers) and opt into free agency.  Since the veteran righty chose to remain in the organization in May, it would seem that he’s more likely than not to again accept the outright assignment, continuing his longstanding ties in Tampa Bay.  Ramirez first pitched for the Rays from 2015-17 before rejoining the team last season, and 377 1/3 of his 849 career MLB innings have come in a Tampa uniform.

This season, Ramirez has a 4.35 ERA in 20 2/3 frames for the Rays, working mostly in a mop-up capacity and eating multiple innings when he has been on the team’s 26-man roster.  Another team in need of experienced pitching could put in a claim to bring Ramirez aboard in a similar capacity, but chances are Ramirez will clear waivers and remain in Tampa’s farm system as bullpen depth.

Rays Outright Rob Brantly

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August 27: Brantly cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Triple-A Durham, per the MLB.com transaction log. It isn’t clear whether he’ll elect free agency or rejoin the Bulls for the rest of the season.

August 24: The Rays announced that catcher Rob Brantly was designated for assignment.  Catcher Ben Rortvedt was activated from the team’s family emergency list in the corresponding move, and Rortvedt will resume his usual share of the catching duties with Alex Jackson.  Rortvedt was initially placed the paternity list last week, but Bally Sports’ Tricia Whitaker reported (via X) that Rortvedt was moved to the family emergency list in order to spend a bit of extra time with the newborn baby.

Brantly’s minor league contract was selected to Tampa’s roster at the time of Rortvedt’s departure, and Brantly’s brief stint with the Rays saw him make nine plate appearances over three games.  It marked his first Major League playing time since he appeared in a single game with the Yankees during the 2022 season.

A third-round pick for the Tigers in the 2010 draft, Brantly was traded to the Marlins in July 2012 and he appeared in 98 games with 356 PA for Miami over the 2012-13 seasons.  That initial dose of playing time remains the bulk of Brantly’s MLB resume, as he has since received 109 PA in 39 games spread over seven different seasons, while bouncing around the league as catching depth.  Tampa Bay signed Brantly to a minor league contract this past offseason, making the Rays the 12th different organization Brantly has been part of since the start of his pro career (plus he has been with the White Sox on two separate occasions).

This journeyman career has included multiple outright assignments, so if Brantly clears waivers and the Rays outright him to Triple-A, the 35-year-old has the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency.  Brantly’s reputation as a solid defender who works well with pitchers could earn him interest from yet another club in free agency or on the waiver wire, or Brantly might just opt to remain with the Rays at the Triple-A level.

Rays Select Erasmo Ramírez

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August 26: The Rays made it official today, announcing that they have selected Ramírez to the roster, with Lopez optioned as the corresponding move.

August 25: The Rays plan to select veteran right-hander Erasmo Ramírez from the Triple-A Durham Bulls, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. He will join the team on Monday, in time for the first game of a three-game set against the Mariners. The Rays already have an open spot on the 40-man, although they will need to make room for Ramírez on the active roster.

Ramírez, 34, is a 13-year MLB veteran who has pitched for six different clubs since making his debut in 2012. Funnily enough, he spent the first seven years of his professional career (and his first three years in the majors) with the Mariners – the team he will likely face in his next big league outing. Ramírez spent the 2012-14 seasons with Seattle before the Mariners traded him to the Rays in March 2015. Two and a half years later, Tampa Bay flipped him back to Seattle at the 2017 trade deadline. He would remain with the M’s through the 2018 campaign.

After that, Ramírez spent time with the Red Sox, Mets, Tigers, and Nationals before finding his way back to the Rays in 2023. He re-signed with the club on a minor league deal this past offseason, and he has already spent one brief stint in the majors in 2024, pitching 16 innings with a 4.50 ERA and 5.22 SIERA. The Rays DFA’d him in May, but he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, where he has a 3.02 ERA over 47 2/3 frames.

Ramírez won’t be a high-leverage arm for the Rays, but he can be a valuable innings eater out of the bullpen. He threw 146 2/3 MLB innings from 2022 to ’23, and he regularly goes multiple innings in an outing. Tampa Bay’s relief corps ranks third in the majors in innings pitched since the All-Star break, so they could surely use the extra help. They may have the second-lowest bullpen ERA (2.29) and SIERA (3.11) in that time, but a fresh arm to help shoulder the workload is never a bad thing. The Rays optioned bulk reliever Joel Kuhnel to allow for Jacob Lopez to make a spot start today, so Kuhnel cannot be recalled for at least 15 days unless he is the 27th man for a doubleheader or replacing a pitcher on the IL. Presumably, Lopez will return to Triple-A, despite his strong performance today (5 IP, 1 ER), and Ramírez will take his spot on the 26-man roster.

Rays Select Rob Brantly

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8:40pm: Manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Fairbanks would be shut down from throwing entirely for two to four weeks (link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). That makes it seem unlikely he’ll be able to return this season, though Cash didn’t officially rule his closer out for the year.

5:20pm: The Rays announced a series of roster moves today, including selecting catcher Rob Brantly to the roster. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow backstop Ben Rortvedt, who has been placed on the paternity list. The club already had a 40-man vacancy and won’t need to make a corresponding move there. The Rays also placed right-hander Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain, as was reported yesterday, with righty Joel Kuhnel recalled to take his spot. There’s still no word on exactly how long Fairbanks will be out of action.

Brantly, 35, is a veteran depth catcher who has frequently carved out part-time roles in the major leagues. He has already appeared in eight major league seasons, suiting up for the Marlins, White Sox, Phillies, Giants and Yankees, with minor league appearances for several other clubs. But all those stints have been fairly brief, as his career highs for games and plate appearances were set with the 2013 Marlins, when he got into 67 contests and stepped to the plate 243 times.

He signed a minor league deal with the Rays this offseason and has been with Triple-A Durham all year so far. He has appeared in 45 games for the Bulls, hitting .262/.323/.418 for a wRC+ of 91. That’s a bit better than his major league track record, which consists of a .225/.287/.326 line and a 68 wRC+ in his 456 plate appearances.

The Rays have split most of their playing time behind the plate between Rortvedt and Alex Jackson this year. René Pinto is also on the 40-man roster but he was placed on the minor league injured list at the end of July and hasn’t played in the past few weeks. With Rortvedt now stepping away for a few days, Brantly will slot in next to Jackson to share the catching duties for the time being. Brantly is out of options, so he may end up getting designated for assignment when Rortvedt returns.

Rays To Place Pete Fairbanks On 15-Day Injured List

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The Rays’ 8-7 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks today came at an unfortunate cost, as both Pete Fairbanks and Yandy Diaz left the game due to injuries.  Fairbanks’ injury is the more serious matter, as manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that the closer suffered an apparent lat strain, and will be headed to the 15-day injured list.  Diaz had to leave the game after being hit in his left elbow with a pitch, but Cash said the infielder is day to day since X-rays and an MRI of Diaz’s elbow were both negative.

More will be known once Fairbanks undergoes tests, but depending on the severity of the strain, it is possible Fairbanks might’ve thrown his last pitch of the 2024 campaign.  This will be his second IL stint of the season, after he missed around three weeks earlier this year dealing with a nerve entrapment issue.

Fairbanks allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning of work today, and that rocky performance will boost his ERA up to 3.57 over 45 1/3 frames.  Sunday’s injury-marred outing aside, Fairbanks has pitched pretty well in his second season as Tampa Bay’s closer, as he has converted 23 of 27 save opportunities.  Fairbanks’ 23.5% strikeout rate is slightly above average and his 8.9% walk rate is on the high side, though a .267 BABIP has helped paper over these middling metrics.

Most of the damage against Fairbanks occurred prior to his first IL stint, as he posted a 1.91 ERA in his first 37 2/3 innings after recovering from the nerve entrapment problems.  The Rays used a bullpen-by-committee approach to save situations when Fairbanks was sidelined that first time, and the team will probably adopt that same tactic again.  Garrett Cleavinger has been Tampa Bay’s most effective reliever overall, though Cash might deploy him in high-leverage situations at any point late in a game, rather than specifically just holding leads in the ninth inning.

Diaz was hit on the elbow in his very first at-bat of the game, forcing Christopher Morel into the lineup as a early replacement.  Given the good news about his initial tests, it could be that Diaz might return after just a day or two off to recover from any swelling, but the Rays will naturally be cautious about one of their key bats.  Diaz’s .273/.329/.396 slash line over 498 PA is well below his production from 2022-23, but he is another player who has started to get it together after a slow start —- Diaz had hit .301/.340/.445 in his previous 253 PA entering today’s action.

These injuries will make the Rays’ uphill climb towards a playoff berth even steeper.  Despite moving a lot of veteran talent at the trade deadline, today’s win moved Tampa Bay back above the .500 mark to 62-61, and the club is 6.5 games back of the last AL wild card spot.

AL East Notes: Refsnyder, Bichette, Lowe, Coulombe, Trevino

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Rob Refsnyder turns 34 next March, and the utilityman is considering calling it a career after the 2024 season comes to an end.  Speaking with Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, Refsnyder said he is “undecided” about returning for what would be his tenth MLB season, and was even thinking about retirement even before he joined the Red Sox during the 2021-22 offseason.  Once this year is over, Refsnyder said he’ll “take it step by step from there and decide what I do….You can still make a big impact not being in a uniform and it’s a lot easier for your family and their schedule.”

As per the terms of the contract extension Refsnyder signed in June 2023, the Sox hold a $2MM club option ($150K) on his services for 2025.  This option looks like a lock to be exercised if Refsnyder wishes to keep playing, as he has an excellent .298/.384/.472 slash line over 251 plate appearances in part-time duty for the Red Sox this season.  Still, Refsnyder is eager to spend more time with his family, and is perhaps keen to start working towards his longer-term goal of working in a front office.

Other items from around the AL East…

  • Bue Jays manager John Schneider gave MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other reporters an update on Bo Bichette, noting that the shortstop has started to increase baseball activities while working out at the Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin.  A timeline isn’t yet in place this early in Bichette’s recovery from a right calf strain, as the club will monitor his progress in the coming days or weeks before deciding on a possible rehab assignment.   Bichette suffered the calf strain on July 19 in Toronto’s 5-4 loss to the Tigers, continuing an all-around disastrous season that has seen Bichette bat only .223/.276/.321 over 330 plate appearances.  The former All-Star’s struggles are one of several reasons why the Blue Jays are out of the playoff race, and if Bichette isn’t showing progress in relatively short order, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jays just shut him down for the remainder of the season.
  • 2024 is the last guaranteed season of the six-year, $24MM extension Brandon Lowe signed with the Rays prior to Opening Day 2019, but Tampa still has a pair of club options ($10.5MM with a $1MM buyout for 2025, $11.5MM for 2026 with a $500K buyout) covering Lowe’s immediate future.  “Whether they pick up the option or they don’t, I feel like I’m putting myself in a good position to still be on a team next year,” Lowe told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, but Lowe noted that playing with the Rays “is all I know.  I like it here.  My friends are here.  We have a house here.  It’s comfortable.  I don’t know anything else.  I know this.”  Given how the Rays dealt a number of higher-priced veterans at the deadline, Topkin figures that Lowe’s continued presence on the roster means that the team will exercise the 2025 option and keep Lowe in Tampa Bay for an eighth season.  Lowe is more than doing his part at the plate to sway the Rays’ mind, as he is hitting .248/.330/.488 with 14 homers over 282 PA.
  • Danny Coulombe is “on track” in his rehab process and is aiming to return in late September, the Orioles left-hander told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko.  Coulombe is on the 60-day IL after undergoing surgery in June to remove bone spurs from his left elbow.  While he is still a few weeks away from getting onto a mound, Coulombe is up to throwing from 90 feet in games of catch.  The Orioles’ bullpen has struggled badly in August, leaving Baltimore in even greater need for whatever the ace setup man can provide whenever he is able to return to action.
  • The Yankees activated catcher Jose Trevino from the 10-day injured list on Friday, and Carlos Narvaez was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Yesterday’s game marked Trevino’s first action since a left quad strain forced him out of the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Orioles on July 12.  Trevino figures to resume his catching platoon with Austin Wells, though Wells’ hot bat over the last month might have earned him a larger share of the playing time.

Rays Place Zack Littell On 15-Day Injured List

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11:55AM: Littell described the IL trip as precautionary, and he told Topkin and other reporters that he could miss just the minimum 15 days.

11:07AM: The Rays announced that right-hander Zack Littell has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to fatigue in his throwing shoulder.  The placement is retroactive to August 15.  Left-hander Tyler Alexander has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Littell threw five innings of one-run ball in his last start on August 14, but threw only 68 pitches, perhaps indicating that his shoulder issue might’ve hastened a relatively early exit from the game.  The 68 pitches tied Littell’s second-lowest pitch count of the season, as the veteran has been a reliable and durable presence in the Rays’ rotation, and leads the team in both innings (129 2/3) and starts (24).

These are both career bests for Littell, who had only 172 2/3 innings and 18 starts at the MLB level before Tampa Bay acquired the righty on a waiver claim off Boston’s roster back in May 2023.  At first, Littell worked as a reliever and opener with his new team, but over the last two months of the 2023 campaign, he thrived after being given the first extended starting job of his six big league seasons.

This success gave Littell another spot in Tampa’s rotation this year, and he has continued to pitch well, posting a 3.89 ERA over his 129 2/3 frames.  Littell’s 4.7% walk rate is one of the best in baseball, though the rest of his secondary metrics (such as a 21.1% strikeout rate, 39.6% hard-hit ball rate, or 9.7% barrel rate) are below average.  Home runs have also been an issue for Littell, but overall, his 4.05 ERA isn’t far beyond his bottom-line ERA.

At the price of a $1.85MM salary in his second year of arbitration eligibility, Littell has been a bargain, and he’ll continue to be a cost-effective rotation piece even after he gets a healthy raise this winter.  As MLBTR’s Steve Adams observed in a subscriber-exclusive piece back in May, Littell has been the latest unheralded pitcher to suddenly gain a new level of success after joining the Rays.

Today’s IL placement interrupts the righty’s overall solid season, and given the calendar, the injury could potentially threaten to end Littell’s 2024 altogether.  Another bout of shoulder fatigue cost him about three weeks last season, and while every situation is different, it could be that this placement is a way to let Littell rest up after almost a full year of an increased workload.  The Rays could use Alexander as a bulk pitcher behind an opener while Littell is on the IL, or the team again dip into the farm system for a replacement arm.

Rays Recall Junior Caminero

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August 13: The Rays made it official today, recalling Caminero and optioning Mead as the corresponding move.

August 12: The Rays plan to recall top infield prospect Junior Caminero from Triple-A Durham before tomorrow’s game against the Astros, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. It’s his first promotion of the season. Caminero is already on the 40-man roster because the Rays initially called him up last September. They’ll only need to make an active roster transaction tomorrow.

Caminero, who turned 21 last month, appeared in seven games for Tampa Bay late last season. He hit his first big league homer but managed only a .278 on-base percentage. The Rays carried him on their Wild Card roster but didn’t get him into a postseason game. Tampa Bay had jumped Caminero directly from Double-A to the big leagues, so they unsurprisingly optioned him to Durham out of Spring Training this year.

The righty-hitting infielder would likely have gotten a call back to the majors sooner if not for a tough stretch of injury luck. Caminero had a pair of stints on the minor league injured list because of quad issues. He’s been limited to 53 games as a result, though he’s playing well when healthy. Caminero carries a .276/.331/.498 slash with 13 homers across 236 Triple-A plate appearances. That’s not overwhelming production in the overall league context, as Triple-A has become very favorable for hitters, even in the International League.

It’s a lot more impressive when considering that Caminero is still the age of a typical college junior. This is technically his age-20 season. He’s one of two players — along with Jackson Holliday — who have managed 200+ Triple-A plate appearances this year at that age. Jackson Chourio is the only 20-year-old to hit that threshold in the big leagues.

Not coincidentally, those players were arguably the top three prospects in the sport entering the season. Chourio has exhausted his prospect eligibility, but Holliday and Caminero respectively landed second and third on Baseball America’s updated Top 100 list. Evaluators continue to laud his massive power potential and overall offensive upside.

The Rays are in dire need of a lineup boost. They dropped tonight’s contest to the Astros 6-1 and have scored two or fewer runs in nine of their past 14 games. Only the A’s have scored fewer runs in August. Tampa Bay dropped back to .500 and sit 5.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot in the American League with three teams to surpass.

Their status as long shot contenders contributed to the front office’s decision to deal the likes of Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Zach Eflin, Jason Adam and Aaron Civale before the deadline. The Rays didn’t go full scorched earth — they held Yandy Díaz, Brandon Lowe and Pete Fairbanks most notably — but the Paredes and Arozarena subtractions make it easier to find a lineup spot for Caminero.

Topkin writes that the Rays are likely to play Caminero regularly at either third base or designated hitter. Tampa Bay has divided playing time at the hot corner between José Caballero and Curtis Mead recently. Mead has yet to hit in his young major league career. Caballero is a glove-first player who can move around the diamond. He’s capable of playing anywhere on the infield and Topkin suggests the Rays could get him some outfield work down the stretch.

Caminero picked up 10 days of major league service last year. He could accrue another 48 days of service time this year if he’s in the majors for good. That won’t be enough to impact his path to free agency or arbitration. He has already sufficient time in Triple-A this season to push his path to free agency back until at least the 2030-31 offseason. He will not qualify for arbitration until the 2027-28 winter at the earliest. Caminero could surpass the requisite 45 days on an MLB active roster to exhaust his rookie eligibility heading into next season, though. Doing so would render him ineligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive in 2025, which would take the possibility of Caminero “earning” the Rays a bonus draft pick based on his Rookie of the Year or MVP finish off the table.

That’s a secondary consideration to getting Caminero his first real run against big league pitching. It’s a stretch to count on any young player to immediately carry a lineup, as some early-season struggles from Holliday and Chourio demonstrated. Even if Caminero doesn’t lead Tampa Bay on a furious playoff push, he’s a potential foundational player whom the Rays are hoping establishes himself as their answer at the hot corner in short order.

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