Tampa Bay Rays infielders Yandy Diaz and Jose Caballero and outfielder Jonny DeLuca are all out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Diaz is on the bench for the third time in the last four days, but it doesn't appear he's dealing with any sort of injury. The 33-year-old hasn't been as good as he was last year when he won the American League batting title with a .330 average, but he's still been one of Tampa's best hitters with a .282/.342/.417 slash line with 14 homers and 65 RBI in 143 games played. Jonathan Aranda is playing first and batting cleanup, with Taylor Walls at short and batting ninth, and Jose Siri in center and in the seven-hole against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. Aranda recently homered in three straight games and has become a regular down the stretch, hitting .262 (16-for-61) with five homers and nine RBI in 20 games in September.
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jose Caballero and outfielder Jonny DeLuca are both out of the starting lineup on Saturday at Tropicana Field against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Taylor Walls will make the start at the 6 for Tampa and will hit ninth, while Jose Siri starts in center field and bats seventh against Blue Jays rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez. Caballero does lead the league with 44 stolen bases (and also 14 times caught stealing), but he has only nine home runs and 44 RBI on the year in 133 games in his first year in Tampa and has struggled at the plate of late. The 28-year-old Panama native has gone 11-for-49 (.225) in 18 games in September with no homers, two doubles, three RBI, seven steals and 17 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. Walls and Siri have four combined at-bats against Rodriguez this year and have gone hitless.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Jose Caballero is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting division-rival New York Yankees. With Caballero retreating to the bench for a day off, Richie Palacios will draw into the lineup at second base and will hit sixth against Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman. The speedy Caballero has been as advertised on the base paths in his first year in Tampa and just his second big-league campaign, as he currently leads the league with 24 stolen bases. Offensively, though, he leaves a lot to be desired, batting .238/.301/.365 with a .666 OPS, six home runs, 24 RBI and 38 runs scored in 76 games played as a regular. Since June 13, he's gone 9-for-52 (.173) with two homers, two doubles, four RBI, 12 strikeouts and only two steals in 17 games. Caballero could use the day off.
Tampa Bay Rays infielders Yandy Diaz and Jose Caballero are out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Fantasy managers shouldn't be worried as this appears to be routine rest day for both players. Jonathan Aranda will cover first base with Brandon Lowe playing second and Amed Rosario is at shortstop for Tuesday's game. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jose Caballero is taking the day off on Friday for the start of a series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. With Caballero starting on the bench, Amed Rosario will start at shortstop and hit seventh against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. This will only be Caballero's fifth game on the bench to start a game for Tampa this year, as he's been the team's primary shortstop in 2024 in the wake of Wander Franco's off-the-field issues. The 27-year-old from Panama doesn't have much power and is hitting just .252/.309/.360 in 139 at-bats, but he's useful in fantasy leagues for his speed (17 steals in his first 40 games with the Rays). Rosario isn't in an ideal lineup spot for those in DFS, but he is sporting a .300 average (42-for-140) on the year with two homers, 18 RBI, five stolen bases and 12 runs scored.
Jose Caballero Runs Wild, Swipes Four Bags On Sunday
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero went nuts on the basepaths on Sunday, swiping four bags in a 7-6 win over the New York Mets. Caballero didn't actually get a hit in this one, going 0-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored to go with the four steals. He now has 13 stolen bases on the season, putting him fourth in the majors in that category. For his speed alone, he should be rostered in most category leagues.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Jose Caballero is slashing .264/.292/.407 with five doubles, one triple, two homers, 12 RBI, 12 runs, one walk, nine stolen bases, and 23 strikeouts across 26 games in 2024. The 27-year-old has elite speed, and his nine steals are sixth in the majors. Before getting the day off on Sunday against the White Sox, he started the previous 12 games and hit .217 (10-for-46) with two doubles, one triple, six RBI, five runs, one homer, one walk, and 13 strikeouts. He remains a solid starter for fantasy managers as he continues to find ways to get on base, but the strikeouts compared to his walks may be something to monitor throughout the season. Caballero will look to continue his solid production on Monday in a tough matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero belted his first home run of the season in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, launching a leadoff blast to deep left center in the second inning. Caballero is on a heater to begin the 2024 season following a poor spring training, now hitting .351 (13-for-37) with an .889 OPS, three doubles, six RBI, and five stolen bases to go with the aforementioned round-tripper across 11 outings. With Brandon Lowe (oblique) hurting, Caballero will likely be needed for everyday at-bats in Tampa Bay's lineup for the time being. The 27-year-old speedy infielder's value to the Rays is more pronounced defensively, but his fantasy stock is certainly on the rise right now. Consider adding him in AL-only or deep mixed leagues for speed, but don't expect a consistent dose of power.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that hitting coach Chad Mottola has informed infielder Jose Caballero that he has the freedom to pull the ball in the air, advice that has paid dividends in recent years for Rays hitters like Yandy Diaz and Isaac Paredes. "He's letting it loose," Cash said. "He seems to be taking to that." With Yandy Diaz's off-the-field issues, Caballero is expected to open the 2024 regular season as Tampa's regular shortstop. The 27-year-old infielder could benefit from hitting the ball more in the air, as he had just four home runs in 107 games for the Mariners in 2023 and isn't exactly known for his power. Still, fantasy managers shouldn't bank on a drastic increase in power for Caballero and should target him mostly as a middle-infield option in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues for his speed.
Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said that infielder Jose Caballero is still expected to be the team's Opening Day shortstop despite the addition of Amed Rosario on a one-year, $1.5 million deal on Tuesday. Rosario is going to bounce around between the middle infield and corner outfield against left-handed pitching. The 27-year-old Caballero was acquired from the Mariners in an offseason trade to give the Rays a backup plan in the wake of Wander Franco's off-the-field issues. Taylor Walls (hip) is going to miss the first month of the season, but he'll give Tampa another option at the 6 when he returns. Caballero didn't display much power in his first taste of big-league action in 2023 and is probably only going to be attractive in AL-only leagues for his speed -- he stole 26 bases in 104 games for Seattle in 2023.
Yandy Díaz
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