Enter Harold Ramírez, the Rays’ newest corner outfielder/DH.

On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired corner outfielder/DH Harold Ramírez from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor league infielder Esteban Quiroz. Tampa Bay announced that right-handed reliever Nick Anderson has been placed on the 60-day Injured List to clear space for Ramírez on the 40-man roster.

While Ramírez didn’t play in a game on the north side of Chicago, he has seen a fair amount of big-league action the past few seasons. Initially a Blue Jays’ farmhand, Ramírez debuted in the majors with the Marlins in 2019, slashing .276 BA/.312 OBP/.416 SLG/.728 OPS in 119 games during his rookie campaign. Yet, he missed almost all of the following season after suffering a severe hamstring strain. He was later claimed off waivers by Cleveland where he slashed .268 BA/.305 OBP/.398 SLG/.703 across 361 plate appearances.

Ramírez, 27, has a career .271 BA/.308 OBP/.405 SLG/.713 OPS in more than 800 plate appearances. To his credit, the outfielder makes a fair amount of contact, leading to a solid batting average. Be that as it may, he’s paired that with a minuscule 4% walk rate and a below-average .134 ISO. Ramírez does have a 47.2% hard-contact percentage, with a 91.3 MPH average exit velocity, and much like Yandy Díaz, a fair number of his balls in play are on the ground. Does it bear wondering if he can be persuaded toward more of a launch angle swing, could his power numbers increase?

To a point, the acquisition of Ramírez is a head-scratcher. After all, Tampa Bay’s outfield is already crowded, with Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, and Manuel Margot projected to be the starting group of outfielders. Meadows, like Ramírez, will see some time in the corners and at DH, while Brett Phillips and Josh Lowe figure to be in the mix.

To that end, it’s possible the Rays deal from the outfield logjam before the start of the 2022 season. Both Kiermaier and Meadows have been floated in trade rumors prior to and since the lockout was lifted. And while Erik Neander and Peter Bendix aren’t likely to trade a regular because of Ramírez, the acquisition could be seen as a preemptive move to bolster outfield depth in case another deal is on the horizon.

Whatever the case, Ramírez will play the 2022 campaign on just a $728-thousand salary and is controllable via arbitration through 2025. Tampa Bay could keep him around as a long-term piece, although he’s also out of minor league option years. That means they must either carry Ramírez on the active roster all season, trade him, or designate him for assignment and risk losing him to another team.

Anderson’s placement on the 60-day IL was a formality, as the right-hander underwent a UCL brace procedure last October that was always expected to keep him out of action past the All-Star Break.

Pete Fairbanks shut down for six weeks

After leaving Sunday’s Grapefruit League contest due to lat tightness, Rays’ right-handed reliever Pete Fairbanks underwent an MRI on Monday. The initial recommendation is for Fairbanks to be shut down from throwing for six weeks; the team is seeking second opinions.

If Fairbanks, indeed, needs to shut things down for the entirety of six weeks, he will likely miss most or all of the first half of the season. Figure a mid-May timetable for him to gradually ramp back up into game shape. An absence of that length would require a minor league rehab stint — possibly precluding him from big-league action until July.

He’s going to miss some time. You walk off the mound, it’s going to take some time to get back out on the mound.

— Kevin Cash

It’s a tough blow for Kevin Cash and the Rays, as Fairbanks has emerged as a key high-leverage arm. Over the past two seasons, the right-hander has pitched to a 3.25 ERA/2.83 FIP across 69.1 innings. Because he averages just under 98 MPH on his high-spin fastball, he’s missed bats in droves with his heater — fanning 31% of opposing hitters.

With Fairbanks out, Andrew Kittredge, JT Chargois, Matt Wisler, and Brooks Raley look like the top options to take the most important outs late in games to start the season.