ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Led by the American League’s leading hitter, Amed Rosario, four players the Rays acquired via trade or free agency in the offseason have combined to save the lineup through the first 24 games.
The Rays (12-12) enter Tuesday night’s game against Detroit hitting .242 as a team. Believe it or not, that is in the top half (14th) of MLB. It is the quartet of Rosario, Jose Caballero, Richie Palacios and Ben Rortvedt that has been carrying the weight as they are hitting a combined .318.
“The guys that we have acquired in the offseason have really helped us,” said manager Kevin Cash. “I have appreciated what they have done because it has maybe allowed the mainstays that have been here a while to continue to buy time until they get their swing and timing down.”
Read: Dave Wills’ Family Grateful He’s In The Tampa Bay Rays Hall Of Fame
Rosario and Caballero have been every day players in the outfield and shortstop, respectively. At .359, Rosario is second in the majors to the Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, who is hitting .368. His 12 RBI are second on the club to the 14 of Isaac Paredes. Caballero, whose second homer of the season accounted for the Rays’ only run in a 7-1 loss against the Tigers on Monday night, is at .284.
Palacios (46 AB) is hitting .304 while drawing nine walks for an on-base percentage of .429. Rortvedt (34 AB) is hitting .324 and has drawn six walks for an on-base mark of .425.
The production of these four players is in contrast to the rest of the club. Randy Arozarena enters Tuesday evening’s game hitting .149 with a .451 OPS. Reigning American League batting champ Yandy Diaz is .222/.557. While his .250 average is not poor by any means, Harold Ramirez has all of two extra-base hits and an OPS of .541. Jose Siri continues to struggle with contact as he has whiffed an eye-opening 37 times in 72 at-bats while toiling below .200.
Read: Tampa Bay Rays’ Wander Franco Placed On Admin Leave Until June 1
Cash shuffled the deck Monday night by dropping Diaz out of the leadoff spot for the first time since August 2022 – Rosario led off for the first time since 2021 when he was with Cleveland — and put Arozarena at cleanup for the first time this season.
“Just not being timed up,” said Cash of Diaz and Arozarena. “They are both real good hitters. They are obviously off to slow starts, but not being timed up at the plate makes it really difficult.”
The Rays and Tigers resume their three-game series at the Trop on Tuesday night when Ryan Pepiot is opposed by Kenta Maeda. The series concludes Wednesday evening when former Tiger Tyler Alexander takes the mound for Tampa Bay against Jack Flaherty. First pitch both nights is 6:50.
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.