DeLuca will start in right field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Since being activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, DeLuca has started in each of the Rays' ensuing six games while going 7-for-18 with three extra-base hits (one home run, one triple and one double), 10 RBI, three runs and two stolen bases. Tampa Bay is back to full strength in its outfield with Jose Siri recently returning from a two-game suspension and Josh Lowe coming off the IL on Monday, but DeLuca hasn't given any reason for manager Kevin Cash to take him out of the lineup just yet. Over the long haul, the right-handed-hitting DeLuca could settle into a short-side platoon role, but expect him to continue playing at least semi-regularly until his bat cools.
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DeLuca will start in right field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Since being activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, DeLuca has started in each of the Rays' ensuing six games while going 7-for-18 with three extra-base hits (one home run, one triple and one double), 10 RBI, three runs and two stolen bases. Tampa Bay is back to full strength in its outfield with Jose Siri recently returning from a two-game suspension and Josh Lowe coming off the IL on Monday, but DeLuca hasn't given any reason for manager Kevin Cash to take him out of the lineup just yet. Over the long haul, the right-handed-hitting DeLuca could settle into a short-side platoon role, but expect him to continue playing at least semi-regularly until his bat cools.
Lowe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The White Sox are bringing a right-hander (Chris Flexen) to the mound, but he's been far more effective against lefties (.314 wOBA) than righties (.372 wOBA) for his career, which likely explains why the lefty-hitting Lowe is on the bench. After being activated from the 10-day injured list Monday, Lowe has gone 3-for-9 with a double through his first two games of the season.
Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The White Sox are bringing a right-hander (Chris Flexen) to the mound, but he's been far more effective against lefties (.314 wOBA) than righties (.372 wOBA) for his career, which likely explains why the lefty-hitting Rortvedt is on the bench. Alex Jackson will fill in for Rortvedt behind the plate.
The Rays reinstated Bradley (pectoral) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday. Bradley is slated to make his season debut Friday against the Yankees at Tropicana Field, but the Rays opted to activate the right-hander two days early after rotation mate Ryan Pepiot (lower leg) was placed on the 15-day IL in a corresponding move. The 23-year-old showed no sign of being affected by the pectoral strain he suffered in spring training over the course of his two rehab starts with Triple-A Durham, as he struck out 15 while allowing one earned run on two hits and three walks across 11 innings. Bradley built up to 94 pitches in his second outing with Durham last Friday and shouldn't face any workload restrictions in his first start with Tampa Bay.
The Rays placed Pepiot on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left lower leg contusion. The transaction is retroactive to Monday, so Pepiot could be activated as soon as May 21 if he makes a speedy recovery from the leg injury, which he suffered when he was hit by a line drive in Sunday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets. Taj Bradley (pectoral) was reinstated from the 15-day IL in a corresponding move and will be plugged into Pepiot's spot in the rotation beginning with Friday's game against the Yankees.
Baz (elbow/oblique) will start his second rehab outing with Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Baz made his first rehab appearance Saturday and threw 39 pitches. He hasn't started in a big-league game since July 10, 2022, so the Rays will likely be cautious regarding the pace of his buildup. That makes a return in late May realistic.
Aranda (finger) went 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday. Aranda has been on a rehab assignment since April 26 and went hitless in his first 19 at-bats. However, he's since seen some improved results, collecting at least one hit in three straight games. The Rays may let him continue to heat up with Durham, but Aranda should be back with the big-league club soon. He also should have the chance to get regular at-bats upon activation at a combination of second base, third base and designated hitter.
Paredes went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the White Sox. The 25-year-old continues to rake. Paredes has seven multi-hit performances in the last 12 games, a stretch in which he's batting .362 (17-for-47) with a 6:4 BB:K. The surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .299/.384/.520 with eight homers and 19 RBI, and with top prospect Junior Caminero tearing it up himself at Triple-A Durham (.340/.392/.681 over his last 12 games), Paredes is doing his best to ensure he won't lose his spot in the starting lineup once the Rays call up the 20-year-old phenom.
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