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Rays promote UTL Kean Wong; Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow rehab notes

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Utilityman Kean Wong was promoted to the big leagues on Thursday. (Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports)

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays promoted utilityman Kean Wong, who made his big league debut a few hours later. To make room for Wong on the 40-man roster, the Rays moved southpaw Jose Alvarado to the 60-day Injured List.

Wong was selected as a second baseman in the fourth-round of the 2013 draft. He began to see some time at third before he expanded his defensive repertoire to include shortstop and all three outfield positions.

Because of his versatility, Wong will fit right into a Rays lineup that values multi-positional flexibility. Wong, like Brandon Lowe, is also a southpaw hitter, giving the team a more balance among the middle infield options.  Wong joins Eric Sogard and Joey Wendle who bat from the left side, and Matt Duffy, Daniel Robertson, and Willy Adames who are all right-handed hitters.

Prior to his promotion, Wong found himself in the midst of a breakout season, slashing .307 BA/.375 OBP/.464 SLG/.839 OPS with 10 homers, 71 runs, and 63 runs batted in over 506 plate appearances for Triple-A Durham. The surge in power is noteworthy, as Wong’s previous high in SLG was .406.

Wong’s breakout yields some proof that he will be able to hit big-league pitching. Considering his gaudy 2019 numbers, the utilityman boasts a modest .287 BA/.342 OBP/.383 SLG/.725 OPS slash line across 3052 Minor League plate appearances.

Noteworthiness

— Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will pitch for Triple-A Durham on Saturday. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow threw a bullpen session on Thursday, and Kevin Cash is debating whether he will make another rehab appearance or rejoin the team. Cash said they want to do right by him and the team.

Rays 7/18/19 doubleheader notes; injury updates

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  • The face of a man who watched Colin Poche give up not one, but two late homers (and consequently the lead) last night in the Bronx (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Rays look to bounce back in a doubleheader today after a washout in the Bronx Wednesday night. On Tuesday, the Rays saw their three-game win streak end, not to mention their three-game streak against New York. Tampa Bay is 5-10 against the Yankees this season, and enter play six games behind the Yankees, and a half-game in front of Cleveland and Oakland for the top Wildcard spot.

The Rays have had a difficult time limiting homers the last two nights. Left-hander Colin Poche gave up not one, but two homers in the eighth inning, including a grand slam. The Yankees have scored all 12 of their runs via the longball — hitting seven thus far.

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (8-4, 3.11 ERA) will get the ball for the Rays, pitching opposite of Domingo German (11-2, 3.40 ERA). In the second game, Charlie Morton (11-2, 2.35 ERA) will take the mound against a pitcher to be named before game time — Chad Green could open if he’s not used in game one.

Yonny Chirinos allowed just two runs on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts across seven innings. The Orioles scored two-out runs in the third and fourth innings, their only tallies against the Rays starter. The 25-year-old turned in his best outing since June 7, although he has pitched well over the last month-plus. Overall, Chirinos is 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 89 punch outs across 107 innings this season.

Domingo German tossed six scoreless frames against the Blue Jays on Friday, fanning seven and walking none while allowing just three hits. He coaxed 13 whiffs on his curveball in the outing. German’s breaking ball may not have a reputation yet, but it is one of baseballs best curves. He hit a bit of a rough patch in four starts from the middle of May to the beginning of June (7.32 ERA, 1.53 WHIP), but has pitched well otherwise this season. German is 2-0 with a 6.75 ERA in four career outings (three starts) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-7, 2B, BB), Ji-Man Choi (1-2, HR, RBI, BB), Avisail Garcia (1-2), Brandon Lowe (1-3), Austin Meadows (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)

Charlie Morton gave up two runs on six hits over six innings on Saturday. He struck out six and walked one. Morton got into a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning, consequently allowing a two-run single, yet he kept the Orioles in check otherwise. The 35-year-old has allowed up 10 runs (eight earned) total and has a 6.83 K/BB in his last five starts (31-1/3 innings).

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees — a series preview, part five

Rays 7/18/19 Starting Lineup Game One

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  1. Meadows LF
  2. Diaz 3B
  3. Lowe DH
  4. Kiermaier CF
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Choi 1B
  7. d’Arnaud C
  8. Wendle 2B
  9. Adames SS

Rays 7/18/19 Starting Lineup Game Two

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Pham LF
  3. Lowe 1B
  4. Diaz DH
  5. Kiermaier CF
  6. Adames SS
  7. Wendle 2B
  8. Brosseau 3B
  9. Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— The Rays have yet to score more than three runs against a conventional New York starter while Chirinos has been on the mound.

— Due to the fact the doubleheader was set up with less than 48 hours notice, a 26th man is only available for game two. Austin Pruitt would have been a candidate, however, he was placed on the injured list for Durham yesterday.

— Matt Duffy went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two runs batted in for the Durham Bulls on Wednesday. The third baseman is close to rejoining the team after missing the entire season so far with hamstring and back injuries.

Talked to him today, and he’s in a really good spot. He’s champing at the bit. … He wants to be playing tonight for us, which is a good thing. It’s nice to see him get to that spot, and now we know that he’s getting closer. I expressed to him to get a couple more games in, and we’ll see how it plays out, but look for him, if everything keeps going (well), to join us shortly.

— Kevin Cash

— Brandon Lowe (right shin contusion) ran at Tropicana Field on Tuesday and reportedly didn’t feel “anything really that bad,” according to the Rays manager. Lowe has been sidelined since July 3 after fouling consecutive pitches off the shin.

The infielder is projected to return to the lineup this weekend in St. Pete.

He’s doing OK; he’s going to hit and get on the field. We just have to get him baseball activity now. It’s been a while.

— Kevin Cash

Rays 7/14/19 pregame notes; injury updates

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Friend of the blog, Michael Nazarro, grabbed this photo from last night’s ballgame. (Photo Credit: Michael Nazarro)

After splitting a doubleheader against Baltimore on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to take three of four from the Orioles this afternoon. Tampa Bay hit six homers and won 12-4 in the nightcap after being held to just one run on three hits by Baltimore in the opener.

https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1150230936761409536

Following the nightcap, Tampa Bay optioned Jake Faria and recalled Ryan Yarbrough (7-3, 4.55 ERA), who will act as the bulk inning guy this afternoon. Ryne Stanek (0-2, 3.26 ERA) will open for Tampa Bay. Tom Eshelman (0-0, 3.60 ERA), who takes the place of Andrew Cashner, will pitch in opposition.

Ryne Stanek will open for the 26th time this season. He last pitched on July 5th, when he allowed four extra-inning runs to New York in an 8-4 loss, with all of the runs coming via the long ball. Stanek has much better opening games, logging a 2.08 ERA as compared to a 7.59 ERA out of the pen. The right-hander has thrown four scoreless frames in three prior appearances against the Orioles.

Ryan Yarbrough last pitched for Durham on July 6th and allowed six runs across five innings against Gwinnett, allowing all but one run in his final inning of work. The lefty gave up one run in three innings in his last big league appearance (July 1) against Baltimore in a 6-3 Rays win.

Tom Eshelman had a promising big league debut against Tampa Bay on July 1, limiting the Rays to two runs on six hits and a walk across five innings, although he failed to fan a batter. The soft-tossing right-hander could be in danger of a demotion back to Triple-A if he turns in a poor outing. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, RBI), Yandy Diaz (1-3), Avisail Garcia (1-2, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (1-2), Austin Meadows (1-3), Mike Zunino (1-2)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview, part four

Rays 7/14/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Pham LF
  3. Kiermaier CF
  4. Lowe DH
  5. Brosseau 3B
  6. Choi 1B
  7. Adames SS
  8. Wendle 2B
  9. Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— In spite of the 2-1 loss in the opening game of the doubleheader yesterday, Rays starters have pitched deep in each of the last three games. Because of it, the bullpen should be rested; only Colin Poche has worked more than an inning out of the ‘pen. Neither Oliver Drake nor Hunter Wood has pitched in the series.

— Matt Duffy (hamstring, back) played in a third straight ballgame for Durham yesterday. The injured third-baseman played all nine innings in the field and went 1-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Duffy will have an off-day today. Rays skipper Kevin Cash said Duffy is “champing at the bit” since he has yet to appear in a big league game this season. He will most likely see 25-30 rehab at-bats before being re-evaluated.

When he is eventually activated from the IL, the Rays will have to make another roster move, as the 40-man is full after Peter Fairbanks was acquired from Texas yesterday.

— Daniel Robertson’s rehabilitation from right knee surgery is progressing quickly. Cash said Robertson, who has been out since June 19th, could move onto a rehab assignment in the next week or so.

Rays 6/22/19 pregame notes; Michael Brosseau promoted

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Third baseman Michael Brosseau has been promoted from Triple-A Durham.

After a much needed 5-3 win over Oakland on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays will look to make it two in a row this afternoon. Willy Adames and Brandon Lowe came up big in the win, both collecting three hits apiece.

Tampa Bay used seven pitchers last night, and have made multiple moves in advance of Saturday’s contest. Austin Pruitt, who hurled three innings was optioned to Triple-A Durham while Daniel Robertson was placed on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation. To compensate, the Rays recalled LHP Adam Kolarek and promoted 3B/UTL, Mike Brosseau. Catcher Anthony Bemboom was moved to the 60-day IL to create space on the 40-man roster for Brosseau.

Like Robertson, Brosseau has the ability to play all over the diamond, which could allow the utility man to see regular action against left-handed pitching while he’s on the active roster. Over 283 plate appearances with the Bulls this season, Brosseau has slashed .313 BA/.406 OBP/.579 SLG/.985 OPS with 35 extra-base hits including 14 homers. His .416 wOBA and 148 wRC+ are impressive, as is his ability to see a lot of pitches and put the ball in play (11.7 BB%, 17.7 K%).

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio Blog) at the time of his call-up Brosseau was leading the International League in RBI (57), was third in runs scored (50), second in doubles (20), and fifth in OPS (.985)

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (7-3, 3.00 ERA) will get the start for the Rays this afternoon, pitching opposite of Mike Fiers (7-3, 4.38 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos allowed three runs on five hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six on Monday. The right-hander fired off his second consecutive quality start, but with Masahiro Tanaka throwing a shutout for the Yankees, that wasn’t good enough. Chirinos owns a 3.00 ERA and a 4.53 K/BB over 81 innings this season. He allowed two runs on seven hits (including a homer) and a walk on June 12 against Oakland, while punching out seven.

Mike Fiers yielded two unearned runs on three hits and two walks across six innings on Monday, fanning four batters. Fiers has earned a win in three straight starts and has won five consecutive decisions dating back to May 7. Baltimore collected both of their runs in the second inning after a throwing error by Matt Chapman. Fiers lowered his ERA to 4.26 across 82-1/3 innings. He limited the Rays to two runs on three hits (including a homer) and a walk across six innings on June 11. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-2, HR, RBI, BB), Avisail Garcia (4-8, 2B), Guillermo Heredia (1-3, 3B), Kevin Kiermaier (3-10), Tommy Pham (1-3, HR, RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Athletics — a Journey to the End of the East Bay

Rays 6/22/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Lowe 2B
  2. Pham LF
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Meadows RF
  5. Garcia DH
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Adames SS
  8. Wendle 3B
  9. Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— Rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, right-hander Anthony Banda scheduled to pitch a couple of innings with the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Sunday.

— You can read about the ongoing Rays Stadium Saga at the links below. I know, I also have a headache…beer me the strength.

Rays suggest the most reasonable solution to the stadium saga is to play half their home games in two cities
Times: The Rays launch a Montreal missile. Don’t let it divide Tampa Bay.

Brent Honeywell fractures elbow; Rays roster notes

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RHP Brent Honeywell fractured his elbow during a bullpen session.

Top Tampa Bay Rays prospect, right-hander Brent Honeywell, fractured a bone in his right elbow during a scheduled bullpen session in Port Charlotte and is out for the season. Dr. James Andrews will perform surgery on Monday, in Pensacola, and the team will have a timetable after the procedure. Honeywell was already on the mend from 2018 Tommy John surgery.

The team said the fracture is of the right medial epicondyle — a bone on the inside of the elbow connected to the ulnar collateral ligament, which was repaired during TJ surgery.

Honeywell had already experienced a major setback in his rehabilitation this April when he was put on the shelf temporarily with forearm soreness, which stemmed from nerve irritation in his upper arm. At the time, the Rays were not overly concerned because it was neither structural nor connected to the elbow ligament surgery.

It is a big hit for both team and Honeywell, as he was projected for a big league promotion at some point during the 2019 season. The outlook, however, is now unclear even for the 2020 season.

Roster Update

— Joey Wendle (fractured wrist) and catcher Michael Perez (oblique) were slated to appear in a rehab game with Triple-A Durham, yet the contest was rained out on Saturday.

Interestingly enough, Wendle was going to take the field at shortstop, with Rays manager Kevin Cash saying “when he gets back … we definitely want to have that option.’’

— Called up from Triple-A as the 26th man for the doubleheader, Austin Pruitt, worked in relief in the nightcap and is headed back to Durham.

— After spending seven days on the family medical emergency list, LHP Jose Alvarado will be transferred to the restricted list with the expectation that he will rejoin the team early this week.

— Jose De Leon’s 30-day rehab assignment ended last week, but he was given the first of three potential 10-day extensions for pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery. So far De Leon is 0-0 with a 3.72 ERA in seven MiLB outings. With Honeywell shelved indefinitely, De Leon could play a crucial role with the Rays as the season progresses.

— Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) wrote that Yonny Chirinos’ dazzling eight-inning start on Friday still might not be enough to officially get him in the starting rotation:

Righty Yonny Chirinos was dazzling again Friday in throwing eight shutout innings, retiring the first 15 hitters for the second time in his last three outings, improving his record to 7-2, 2.87 overall and 4-2, 2.27 in seven starts. But that is still not enough to earn him a promotion to (a) full-time starter, not even just temporarily until Tyler Glasnow returns in July. “We’re still going to make the decision (what’s) best to help us win that game, win that series,’’ manager Kevin Cash said. “And if we feel it’s best to use an opener we’ll continue to do that.’’

— Marc Topkin