Tampa Bay Rays News

Wander Franco  • SS  •  Rays

Wander Franco Now Facing Weapons Charges

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will now face charges of illegal use and possession of a firearm after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic countryside during an armed altercation on Sunday, according to public prosecutors. Franco had been held for questioning by police but is expected to be granted his release on Tuesday. A Glock with its magazines and 15 rounds of ammunition but no registration papers were found in Franco's Mercedes-Benz at the time of the altercation. There were no injuries, and the involved parties won't be pressing charges. The use and possession of illegal firearms carries a maximum sentence of three to five years. Franco is currently on indefinite administrative leave from MLB and will stand trial in the DR on Dec. 12 in a separate case involving charges of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor. He's unlikely to play baseball in the big leagues again.
4 days ago   
Shane McClanahan  • SP  •  Rays

Shane McClanahan Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) is expected to have a normal, healthy offseason after completing his rehab program from Tommy John Surgery on Sept. 25 by throwing 15 to 16 pitches in a live batting practice session at Tropicana Field. McClanahan looked good during that session and was hitting 94 to 95 mph. He had his second TJ surgery back on Aug. 21 of 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season for the Rays. The 27-year-old southpaw has been an All-Star twice and is expected to be fully ready for the start of spring training in February. As long as he doesn't have any setbacks during the spring, McClanahan will open the start of the 2025 regular season atop Tampa's starting rotation. Although McClanahan has high-end fantasy upside when healthy, he'll also probably be on a strict pitch count early on.
5 days ago   
Wander Franco  • SS  •  Rays

Wander Franco Arrested On Monday After Altercation

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who remains on the team's restricted list, was arrested on Monday in the Dominican Republic. This time, the arrest was related to an incident that happened on Sunday in which an altercation occurred and "guns were drawn." Franco is currently out on bail based on a deal related to his other charges connected to his relationship with a minor. According to the story, the 23-year-old is permitted to carry a gun so long as he has a license for it and it is registered, but it is not currently known whether or not the one in Sunday's incident was either licensed or registered. Franco is still awaiting trial in the other case and has not played in the majors since August of 2023.
5 days ago   
Tre' Morgan  • 1B  •  Rays

Tre' Morgan Stays Hot In 2024 Fall Stars Game

Tampa Bay Rays first base prospect Tre' Morgan went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base during the 2024 Fall Stars Game. Morgan's lone hit went for extra bases. Through 17 games in the Arizona Fall League, the 22-year-old has posted an impressive .347/.405/.528 slash line with eight doubles, 15 RBI, and an 8:8 BB:K. Last season, the No. 10 prospect in the Tampa Bay system opened the season in Single-A but was able to reach Double-A by the final month. Across all three levels, the LSU product carried a stellar .324/408/.483 line with 23 doubles, 10 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a 48:48 BB:K. Fantasy managers should monitor his progress during spring training, as he may only need another brief look at Double-A before reaching Triple-A later this summer given his current trajectory.
6 days ago   
Xavier Isaac  • 1B  •  Rays

Xavier Isaac Performing Well During Arizona Fall League

Tampa Bay Rays first base prospect Xavier Isaac has posted an impressive .286/.403/.554 slash line through 15 games at the Arizona Fall League. He has hit three home runs and six doubles. This is a great sign for the 20-year-old as he enjoyed a fantastic campaign at High-A last season. Across 71 games with High-A Bowling, Isaac carried a .287/.381/.535 line with 17 doubles and 15 long balls. The No.2 prospect in Tampa Bay then earned a brief taste of Double-A during the final month of the summer but struggled as he posted a .211/.346/.349 line. Isaac remains one of the top prospects in baseball and should spend most of the 2025 campaign in the upper levels of the minor leagues.
7 days ago   
Brandon Lowe  • 2B  •  Rays

Rays Pick Up Club Option On Brandon Lowe

The Tampa Bay Rays have picked up the 2025 club option on second baseman Brandon Lowe according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lowe is coming off another solid season where he hit at least 20 home runs for the second-straight campaign. He also held a .244/.311/.473 slash line with 58 RBI and five stolen bases. Under the hood, he held an above-average 44.7% hard-hit rate and a 12.4% barrel rate which suggest his power numbers should continue to remain stable heading into 2025. Fantasy managers should view Lowe as a solid late-round option for power as a middle infielder.
Nov 1   
Shane Baz  • SP  •  Rays

Shane Baz Strikes Out Seven In Win

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz tossed his third consecutive quality start in Saturday's 7-2 victory over the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs on just three hits and a walk while striking out seven over six innings of work, picking up his fourth win. Baz has looked good since coming off of the IL in July after his recovery from Tommy John surgery, other than perhaps some command issues which he's cleaned up as of late, with just four walks compared to 23 strikeouts over his last four starts. The righty looked like he had a promising future before requiring Tommy John, and that still looks to be the case after he posted a 3.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 14 starts. While the 13.2% K-BB% overall doesn't jump off the page, the last four starts were more in line with what managers should expect from the former first-rounder next season, as he pitched to a 20.9% K-BB% over that timeframe.
Sep 29   
Junior Caminero  • SS  •  Rays

Junior Caminero Blasts Two-Run Shot As Part Of Three-Hit Day

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero had a huge day at the plate, racking up three hits and three RBI in the Rays' 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Caminero blasted his sixth HR of the season off Red Sox start Kutter Crawford, a two-run shot in the third inning. He added an RBI single in the fifth and another single in the seventh to collect his third hit and improve his OPS to .741 on the season. The 21-year-old has been a mainstay at third base for the Rays since his promotion in August. Tampa's No. 1 prospect has seen fairly true results with his .303 wOBA balancing out with his .302 xwOBA. Dynasty managers with Caminero on the roster should expect him to continue to get starts at third base and DH in the 2025 season, giving him plenty of solid value. He'll look to finish his season strong on Sunday against the Red Sox who have yet to name a starter.
Sep 28   
Taj Bradley  • SP  •  Rays

Taj Bradley Fans Seven Over Six Shutout Innings

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley tossed six innings of shutout ball in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Red Sox, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven on the way to earning his eighth win of the season. It caps off an up-and-down season for the righty, as he had a nine-game stretch where he pitched to a 0.82 ERA in the middle of the season, but allowed four runs or more on eight other occasions. Still, his final 4.11 ERA and 1.22 WHIP were improvements over 2023, and his 3.69 SIERA might offer a ray of hope for next season's fantasy prospects as the 10.04 K/9 ability should remain intact.
Sep 28   
Christopher Morel  • 3B  •  Rays

Christopher Morel Sitting Out Against Red Sox

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel and shortstop Taylor Walls are getting the day off on Friday for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Richie Palacios is making the start in left field and is hitting seventh, with Jose Caballero returning to shortstop and batting eighth against Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta. Morel has reached the 20-homer mark for the second straight season, but he's also hitting under .200 in 149 combined games with the Rays and Chicago Cubs. He's been even worse since coming to Tampa at the trade deadline, hitting .183 (30-for-164) with just three home runs, four doubles, two triples, seven RBI and 55 strikeouts in 180 trips to the plate. Palacios has mainly been a speed threat for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues with a career-high 19 stolen bases in 2024, but he hasn't provided much else in just 90 games.
Sep 27   
Tyler Alexander  • SP  |  Tyler Alexander  • SP  •  Rays

Tyler Alexander Shines Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Alexander was excellent on Thursday, holding the Detroit Tigers scoreless over five innings in a 4-3 loss. Alexander allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out six. It was the best outing of the season for the 30-year-old, who owns a 5.10 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 2024. Aside from the ratios, Alexander also has the problem of not pitching deep into games, as the Rays usually pull him after four or five innings. He doesn't have much utility in fantasy.
Sep 27   
Wander Franco  • SS  •  Rays

Case Against Wander Franco Will Go To Trial

A judge in the Dominican Republic ruled on Thursday that the evidence presented against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco merits a trial, according to multiple reports. Franco is charged with human trafficking, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges stem from the 23-year-old's relationship with a then-14-year-old girl that started in December of 2022, when Franco was 21. If he is convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. No date for the trial has been set for Franco, who obviously has been on the restricted list all year and hasn't played since August of 2023. Judge Pascual Valenzuela "repeatedly pointed out to him that the decision is not an opinion of guilt," but that the evidence is considered worthy of the case moving to the trial stage. The Rays still owe Franco $172 million from the 11-year, $182 million deal he signed after his debut season in 2021.
Sep 27   
Yandy Díaz  • 1B  •  Rays  |  José Caballero  • SS  •  Rays

Yandy Diaz, Jose Caballero Out On Thursday

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.
Sep 26   
Josh Lowe  • RF  •  Rays  |  Jonathan Aranda  • 1B  •  Rays

Jonathan Aranda, Josh Lowe Sitting Against Tigers

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda and outfielder Josh Lowe are out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park with a left-hander on the mound. Brandon Lowe will start at first base and bat second, with Jonny DeLuca manning right field and hitting third for the Rays versus Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal. Skubal is one of the best all-around pitchers in the game, so DFS managers will probably be looking to fade both Lowe and DeLuca on Tuesday. Aranda has gone deep in three straight games but will get a day off with a tough southpaw on the mound. Since being called back up on Aug. 30, he has hit .274 (17-for-62) with five homers, four doubles and 10 RBI in 20 games. Josh Lowe has hit just .227 (10-for-44) with none of his 10 home runs and 16 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances against lefties in 2024.
Sep 24   
Shane Baz  • SP  •  Rays

Shane Baz Looks Strong On Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz continued his stellar second half of the season on Sunday. The right-hander allowed one run on four hits over six innings of work during the victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Baz notched six strikeouts while only walking one batter during this outing. He holds a 2.71 ERA since the All-Star break and looks to end the regular season on a strong note against the Boston Red Sox next week.
Sep 23   
José Caballero  • SS  •  Rays

Jose Caballero Retreats To Bench Versus Blue Jays

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.
Sep 21   
Jonathan Aranda  • 1B  •  Rays

Jonathan Aranda Wins It For The Rays

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda didn't hit your prototypical walk-off home run, but his solo shot in the sixth inning proved to be the game-winner in a tight 1-0 win over the Blue Jays on Friday. Aranda has now hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games he's started, going 12-for-40 (.300) over that stretch with three doubles, three home runs, four RBI, and seven runs scored. During his time in the minors, the 26-year-old has proven he's got some pop in his bat, including a 25-homer season at Triple-A in 2023, but for fantasy managers navigating the fantasy playoffs, there are probably better upside options out there on the waiver wire.
Sep 21   
Shane McClanahan  • SP  •  Rays

Shane McClanahan Feeling Like Himself

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (elbow) is nearing the end of his rehab program and will be a full go for the 2025 season. McClanahan had Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and took his rehab slow to ensure he was ready to go for next season. The 27-year-old says that he is feeling as good as he did before getting injured and is ready for a big season in 2025. Shane O Mac is one of the best in the game when healthy, and he is likely to be drafted relatively highly for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. If he is out there in any keeper leagues, this is a good time to go out and get him.
Sep 20   
Zack Littell  • SP  •  Rays

Zack Littell Fires Gem On Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell continued his impressive stretch on Thursday, shutting out the Boston Red Sox for seven innings and earning his eighth win in a 2-0 victory. Littell was completely dominant in this one, allowing just one hit and walking no one while punching out seven. This makes three straight outings where the 28-year-old hasn't given up a run or allowed more than three hits. It's been a good campaign overall for Littell, and he could earn himself a spot in Tampa's 2025 rotation with the way he's pitched. The righty has one start left this year against the feisty Detroit Tigers, and fantasy managers who are in a pickle certainly could do worse than Littell.
Sep 20   
Junior Caminero  • SS  •  Rays

Junior Caminero Not Playing Against Red Sox

Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Junior Caminero is getting a day of rest on Thursday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. This will be Caminero's second day off since the Rays called him up in the middle of last month. Caminero came up for just seven games to make his major-league debut last year. He's had a little more run in the big leagues in 2024 after dealing with some injuries in the minors earlier this year. In his 34 games played for Tampa this year, he is hitting .248/.312/.411 with a .723 OPS, four home runs, seven doubles, a triple, 14 RBI and two steals in 141 plate appearances. The 21-year-old Dominican is a big part of the team's future and should be a lineup regular from Day 1 in 2025. With Caminero out on Thursday, Jose Caballero is at third and batting sixth, while Taylor Walls starts at short and bats eighth against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello.
Sep 19   
LEGEND
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