Tampa Bay Rays’ first baseman/outfielder Harold Ramirez left Sunday’s contest after being hit on his right hand by a pitch. They later announced that Ramirez has a broken right thumb and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Ramirez has been a revelation for the Rays, producing a .329 BA/.376 OBP/.446 SLG/.822 OPS slash line with a 141 wRC+ — 41% better than league average and ranking him 23rd in baseball, just ahead of Pete Alonso. And while he’s posted just a 6.1% walk rate, he’s only striking out at a 13.7% clip.
When Ramirez is placed on the Injured List, he’ll join Manuel Margot and Kevin Kiermaier. Even if his thumb is okay in a couple of weeks, he will likely need to get in some rehab work in order to get back into game shape, so an absence of three-to-five weeks (inlcuding the All-Star Break) could be in order.
That leaves Tampa Bay with Randy Arozarena, Josh Lowe, Brett Phillips, and Luke Raley as the regular outfielders. Arozarena is having another good season, however, the rest are currently hitting at below-average rates, with none of the three producing anything greater than a 71 wRC+. That being said, Lowe is getting toasty, hitting .245 BA/.315 OBP/.429 SLG/.744 OPS in the month of July, with a 117 wRC+. Brandon Lowe has played outfield in the past, yet he just returned from the IL on Saturday, and the team is likely hesitant to throw him onto the turf after a two-month stint on the shelf due to a back issue. Vidal Bruján has defensive flexibility and can be recalled, although he, too, has struggled in big-league action this season, producing just a 41 wRC+. Jonathan Aranda, who was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, has fared well with the Rays, however, he is a utility infielder that has yet to face left-handed pitching.
Despite the malady, Tampa Bay entered the All-Star Break with a 51-41 record and in the top American League Wild Card spot. In other words, the Rays could look to do some buying ahead of the August 2 trade deadline. There are a number of outfielders on the market, including a few connected to the Rays in some capacity per MLB Trade Rumors, such as Andrew Benintendi, David Peralta, and Ian Happ.
Benintendi has slashed .317 BA/.386 OBP/.401 SLG/.787 OPS across 363 plate appearances, however, he is owed roughly $4.25-million for the remainder of the season which may be more than the Rays are willing to pay for a rent-a-player. Peralta owns a .235 BA/.301 OBP/.435 SLG/.736 OPS with a 99 wRC+ across 282 plate appearances, although he is owed $18.25-million over the next two-and-a-half seasons (a $7.3-million AAV) which is well above what the Rays are willing to pay for a player that would be acquired in the interim while Ramirez heals. Happ has performed to a .274 BA/.365 OBP/.446 SLG/.811 OPS with a 126 wRC+ overall, but more importantly a .347 BA/.413 OBP/.528 SLG/.941 OPS slash line in 80 plate appearances against southpaws. He’s also owed $3.43-million for the balance of his contract, making him more affordable than the abovementioned players.