Tampa Bay Devil Rays MLB News - Devil Rays Baseball Blog

The Tampa Bay Rays place Brandon Guyer on the D.L.

chinmusic — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:18:31 +0000

The Rays have placed 26-year old righty swinging outfielder Brandon Guyer on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained shoulder. Guyer has played in 3 games for the Rays so far this year and he is 1 for 7 (.143 avg, .714 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He has now played in 18 games in his first two years with the Rays and he is 9 for 48 (.188 avg, .600 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 4 RBIs. Guyer has been replaced on the active roster by outfielder Rich Thompson, who the Rays acquired in a deal with the Phillies yesterday.

The Tampa Bay Rays acquire OF Rich Thompson from the Phillies

chinmusic — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:44:05 +0000

The Rays have acquired 33-year old lefty swinging outfielder Rich Thompson from the Philadelphia Phillies for 25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Kyle Hudson. Thompson has played in 29 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 27 for 88 (.307 avg, .788 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 0 homers, 11 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,388 games in his first 13 years in the minors and he is 1,390 of 4,966 (.280 avg, .727 OPS) with 836 runs scored, 35 homers, 463 RBIs and 442 stolen bases. Thompson’s only major league experience came way back in 2004. He played in 6 games for the Royals in 2004 and he was 0 for 1 (.000 avg) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Hudson played in 31 games in AAA-ball for the Rays and he was 32 for 110 (.291 avg, .696 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 0 homers, 8 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

The Tampa Bay Rays should be calling up the Chicago Cubs

chinmusic — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:21:39 +0000

The Cubs are going nowhere this year, but they have a couple of players who could really help the Rays. The Rays need a catcher in the worst way and a infielder with some pop in his bat who can play some 3B. In my scenario, the Rays would acquire catcher Geovany Soto, infielder Jeff Baker and cash for lefty starter Alex Torres, righty reliever Brandon Gomes and 2B/SS Reid Brignac. This deal would help the Cubs with their rebuilding and it would help the Rays fill up their biggest needs right now. Come on Rays, make the call and get a deal done.

The Tampa Bay Rays lose Jeff Niemann for the next 4-6 weeks

chinmusic — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:08:34 +0000

The Tampa Bay Rays will be without righty starting pitcher Jeff Niemann for the next 4-6 weeks due to a small fracture in his right fibula right above his ankle. Niemann has started 7 games for the Rays so far this year and he is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. It will be interesting to see who the Rays choose to replace Niemann in the rotation. They could go with 26-year old Wade Davis, who has been pitching well out of the bullpen this year. Davis has pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Rays so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 2.04 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He pitched in 29 games (all starts) in 2011 for the Rays and he was 11-10 with a 4.45 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. To move Davis into the rotation would create a big hole in the bullpen, so the Rays might not want to use him to replace Niemann. 24-year old righty Alex Cobb is the favorite for the job in my eyes. He has started 8 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 1-4 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Cobb pitched in 9 games (all starts) in his first taste of the majors last year for the Rays and he was 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. 23-year old righty Chris Archer is a longshot for the job. He has started 8 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 3-4 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.

The Tampa Bay Rays sign 1B Ryan Garko

chinmusic — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:03:37 +0000

The Rays have signed 31-year old righty swinging 1B Ryan Garko to a minor league deal. Garko played in 16 games for Long Island in the Independent League this year and he was 27 for 60 (.450 avg, 1.219 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers and 16 RBIs. Garko last played in the majors in 2010 with the Texas Rangers. Garko has played in 463 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 427 of 1,552 (.275 avg, .781 OPS) with 190 runs scored, 55 homers and 250 RBIs. This was a solid move for the Rays as Garko might be able to help them later in 2012.

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed Desmond Jennings on the D.L.

chinmusic — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:01:53 +0000

The Rays have placed 25-year old righty swinging LF Desmond Jennings on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 12th due to a left knee sprain. Jennings has played in 31 games for the Rays so far this year and he is 30 for 113 (.265 avg, .732 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 3 homers, 11 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Rays have called up 27-year old lefty swinging OF/C Stephen Vogt to replace Jennings on the roster. Vogt played in 7 games for the Rays earlier this year and he was 0 for 13 (.000 avg, .000 OPS). He also has played in 19 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 15 for 70 (.214 avg, .536 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 8 RBIs. The Rays hope that the rest Jennings will get will have him ready to go when he’s eligible to return from the D.L. on May 27th.

Jake McGee is just letting it rip for the Tampa Bay Rays so far this year

chinmusic — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:01:15 +0000

25-year old lefty reliever Jake McGee should be able to replace Joel Peralta as the Rays’ set-up man in the very near future. He is trusting his stuff and letter er’ rip so far this year and the results have been good. McGee has pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Rays so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He has given up 8 hits while whiffing 13 batters in his first 10 1/3 innings so far this year, as he has been missing a lot of bats. McGee has now pitched in 59 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Rays and he is 5-3 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.

Alex Torres is having a rough time in AAA-ball for the Tampa Bay Rays

chinmusic — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:31:14 +0000

24-year old lefty starter/reliever Alex Torres came into this season as the Rays’ #6 prospect according to Baseball America. But, boy is he off to a rough start in AAA-ball in 2012. Torres has pitched in 7 games (5 starts) in AAA-ball for the Rays so far this year and he is 1-3 with a 9.28 ERA and a 2.30 WHIP. He has given up 21 hits (4 homers) and he has whiffed 26 batters in his first 21 1/3 innings in the minors this year, but, he has also walked 28 batters and that is what has gotten him into so much trouble this year. Torres pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Rays last year in the first taste of the majors and he was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. Torres will need to straighten out soon if he wants to wind up pitching for the Rays at some point in 2012.

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed 1B/OF Brandon Allen on the D.L.

chinmusic — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:02:21 +0000

The Rays have placed 26-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Brandon Allen on the 15-day disabled list due to a right quad strain. Allen has played in 7 games for the Rays so far this year and he is 2 for 13 (.154 avg, .651 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. He has now played in 10 games overall this year for the Rays & A’s in which he is 2 for 20 (.100 avg, .432 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. 26-year old Brandon Guyer has replaced Allen on the active roster. Guyer played in 22 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 25 of 85 (.294 avg, .823 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers, 13 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has played in 2 games already this year for the Rays and he is 0 for 4 (.000 avg). Guyer has now played in 17 games in his first two years with the Rays and he is 8 for 45 (.178 avg, .529 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs.

The Tampa Bay Rays call up Cesar Ramos

chinmusic — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:35:55 +0000

The Rays have called up 27-year old lefty reliever Cesar Ramos and they have sent 27-year old righty reliever Brandon Gomes to AAA. Ramos pitched in 12 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball so far this year for the Rays and he was 2-1 with 1 save, a 1.69 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. He has only given up 7 hits in 16 innings in the minors this year, but more importantly, he has whiffed 15 batters and walked only 4. Ramos pitched in 59 games (0 starts) for the Rays last year and he was 0-1 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Ramos will join J.P. Howell and Jake McGee to give the Rays three lefties in the pen going forward. Gomes deserved his demotion. He pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Rays this year and he was 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. His performance was disappointing as he was rock solid as a rookie for the Rays last year. Gomes pitched in 40 games (0 starts) for the Rays last year and he was 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Gomes will likely get another shot with the Rays if he pitches well in AAA.