TAMPA, Fla. – When Coco Montes played against the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in the Rays’ Grapefruit League opener six weeks ago, it marked the first time the former USF infielder played in Florida since the end of his collegiate career.
It did not take long for the 28-year-old Miami native, who the Rays signed to a minor league deal in January, to return to Tampa and in a more meaningful game. With Jonny DeLuca placed on the injured list (shoulder), Montes was summoned from Triple-A Durham. It was during a layover in Baltimore on Monday night when he found out about his promotion through manager Morgan Ensberg.
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“I was about to board the next flight to Buffalo (where Durham started a series Tuesday) and Ensberg came up to me and he was like, ‘Hey, do you want to go to the big leagues?’” he said. “I was thinking he would tell me what I need to do, what I need to get better at.”
Instead, Montes really was headed to the majors. First, he had to make the connecting flight to Buffalo, where his equipment bag was already at the ballpark. A clubhouse attendant met Montes at the airport and handed him his bag for a flight to Tampa. A long evening was nearing completion when he landed at TPA after midnight.
“I am excited to be back in Tampa,” he said Tuesday, before a 13-game homestand got underway against the Angels. “I feel like Tampa has been very good to me and my baseball career.”
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Montes made his Rays debut in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Angels. He took over at third base and did not have a plate appearance. With one out in the ninth and a runner on first, Montes bobbled a Taylor Ward grounder that manager Kevin Cash thought should have been a double play. Instead, he had to settle for an out at first with the eventual winning run advancing to second.
Montes was drafted in 2018 by the Rockies, who train in Arizona. He made his MLB debut with the team in 2023 and went 7-for-38 (.184) in 18 games. He split last season between Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque and the Yomiuri Giants in Japan. The Rays signed him in to a minor league deal in January and he was added to the 40-man roster in spring training.
“Extremely excited they believed in me,” he said of the Rays. “They put me on the 40-man at the end of the spring and I am here to prove them right.”
Other former Bulls to play for the Rays are Shane McClanahan, Phoenix Sanders and Dave Eiland.
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