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A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

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 look to bounce back from 15-1 loss; Rays injury update

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  • Charlie Morton certainly didn’t pitch like #CFM last night. (Stats Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a 15-1 throttling by the Houston Astros last night, the Tampa Bay Rays are looking to bounce back on Tuesday against one of the best teams in baseball Wednesday night. Tampa Bay has dropped the last three games and five of the last eight.

Charlie Morton was ambushed by his former team, coughing up six runs on seven hits and two walks across four innings. He struck out four. Uncle Charlie got through the first two frames unscathed before Houston’s offense erupted; five of the seven hits Morton allowed went for extra bases. On a more positive note, Morton reached 200 strikeouts for the second consecutive season. The right-hander carries a respectable 3.11 ERA and a 4.28 K/BB through 165 innings on the season.

Tampa Bay enters play a game back of Cleveland for the top Wildcard spot, and .5 games back of Oakland for the final playoff spot, with a coin toss chance of making the playoffs according to FanGraphs.

After Mike Brosseau pitched the final two innings last night, he was optioned back to Durham in order to make room for right-hander José De León.

The New What Next

Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (11-3, 3.29 ERA) will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.75 ERA).

Ryan Yarbrough allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with five strikeouts across 4-1/3 rain-shortened innings against the Orioles on Thursday. The southpaw gave up a pair of runs in the first inning, but that was it, as he shut the door over the next 3-1/3 frames. Yarbrough owns a 0.75 ERA with 28 strikeouts in his last 24 innings. Overall, he is 11-3 with a 3.29 ERA (down from 8.10 in April), an 0.87 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts across 109-1/3 innings this season. Yarbs is 0-1 with a 1.42 ERA in one career start (6-1/3 innings of work) against the Astros.

Gerrit Cole held the Tigers scoreless on Thursday while striking out 12 over seven innings. He allowed two hits and one walk. Despite being shelved more than two weeks with hamstring soreness, the right-hander hit 99 mph in the first inning and his velo stayed high all night. Cole’s sixth-inning strikeout of Jake Rogers — his 10th of the game — matched a franchise record of 14 games in one season with 10 punchouts or more. Cole now owns a ridiculous 2.75 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 5.95 K/BB on the season. He is 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA in three career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (2-5, RBI, BB), Ji-Man Choi (1-3, 2 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (4-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (8-15, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Joey Wendle (2-5, 2 RBI)

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

TNWN: Rays vs Astros — a series preview, part two

Rays 8/28/19 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

— Kevin Kiermaier is out of the lineup again as he continues to recover from bruised ribs.

— After throwing 15 pitches during a live batting practice session in Port Charlotte, Tyler Glasnow is set to make his first rehab outing on Friday with Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs.

(Glasnow) Was encouraging. I think he’s scheduled to throw one inning in the game for Port Charlotte three or four days from now.

— Kevin Cash

The Rays manager noted that Glasnow needs about three or four outings in the Minors before rejoining the big league squad as a reliever, which would add another quality arm to a Rays bullpen.

— Blake Snell threw 10 pitches at Tropicana Field, and Cash said the reigning AL Cy Young Award Winner felt “really good” during the session. Snell will throw a bullpen session on Friday, which will be the first time throwing off a mound since undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow.

— Yonny Chirinos played catch on Tuesday and said it was the best he had felt since being placed on the Injured List on August 5th with right middle finger inflammation.

— There’s no timetable for Chirinos or Snell’s return, although the team is optimistic that they will pitch again this season.

— Brendan McKay was placed on the seven-day Minor League Injured List, retroactive to August 23rd with left shoulder fatigue. After feeling some fatigue, McKay was examined by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Koco Eaton, who found no concerns. McKay resumed his throwing regimen on Monday, playing catch from 90 feet. The left-hander is expected to miss one start, with the possibility that his next start comes in St. Petersburg with the rosters expanding on Sunday.

I think this was just precautionary. He felt something throwing his bullpen once he got optioned out. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we give him ample rest so when he does get back up here, that he can help. We foresee this to be really short. Shut him down for a couple of days from throwing, and he’ll get right back out there and get on the mound throwing, and it could be for us.

— Kevin Cash

Glasnow, Lowe, Wendle, and Garcia injury updates

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Tyler Glasnow could return to the fold in September, albeit in a lesser role.

Three months after Tyler Glasnow last took the mound in a big-league ballgame, it appears that a window of opportunity could be opening for his return to the big league roster before the end of the season.

Glasnow, out since May 10 with forearm concerns, threw 15 fastballs off the mound on Monday and is scheduled for a pair of bullpen sessions on Wednesday and Friday before moving on to live batting practice next week with the team in Houston. If all goes as planned, he will begin a rehab assignment around August 30 with Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs.

The speed was relatively game-like, everything felt good, so I’m optimistic, for sure. It feels really good.

— Tyler Glasnow

Glasnow’s return comes with a caveat, however: the right-hander likely will not be built up as a starter and will, instead, be used as a relief option if all goes well over the next few weeks.

I’m going to rehab initially out of the ‘pen, I believe. I don’t know if I’ll build up to two innings, I’m not sure. I’m sure it’ll all depend on how I’m feeling with the recovery and whatnot. However they want to use me, I’m down to do whatever.

— Tyler Glasnow

As Juan Toribio (MLB.com) writes, Rays skipper Kevin Cash hasn’t given thought to how the Rays will use Glasnow.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that the team hasn’t given any thought if Glasnow would be used as an opener or in the backend of the bullpen. Regardless of his role, if Tampa Bay can get Glasnow, who led the American League with a 1.86 ERA before landing on the 60-day injured list, he’ll give the Rays an added boost as they look to secure one of the two American League Wildcard spots.

— Juan Toribio

Meanwhile, another hurler working his way back from an injury, southpaw Blake Snell, is on track to return in September.

Tampa Bay is also missing a few banged-up position players, including Brandon Lowe, Joey Wendle, and Avisail Garcia. There’s positive news on all three.

Lowe is progressing in his rehab assignment, which has been moved to Triple-A Durham.

Lowe continues to progress and said he feels good in spite of “not being 100%” with the injury. His biggest challenges thus far have been his mobility, although he told Toribio that he’s taken significant strides in those areas and hopes to return during the next road trip.

I’m itching to get back. I’m hoping that it’s not very long, but it’s something we’re going to find out while we’re (in Durham) and test it.

— Brandon Lowe

As with Lowe, Wendle has been trending in the right direction as he works his way back from a wrist injury that he suffered in late July. The infielder said his wrist feels good and hopes to return after a handful of games with Durham.

Everything is feeling really good. It’s just a matter of getting some at-bats and making sure when I come back I’m productive and ready to go.

— Joey Wendle

As for Garcia, who was placed on the IL on Wednesday with an oblique strain, an MRI on Friday revealed that the injury isn’t especially serious, and the outfielder probably won’t miss more than the minimum of 10 days on the IL. Garcia took batting practice in the cage on Monday, and the plan is for him to take on-field batting practice on Tuesday, and then play one rehab game towards the end of this week.

d’Arnaud, Rays come from behind to defeat New York, 5-4; Glasnow update

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  • Move over Dan Johnson, there’s a new legend in town, Travis d’Arnaud. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

If the Tampa Bay Rays make the playoffs this season, Monday’s late-inning, come from behind victory will be a ballgame that will be looked back upon with great reverie. Travis d’Arnaud hit three big home runs ⁠— tying a franchise record originally set by Evan Longoria ⁠— in the Bronx, the last of which gave Tampa Bay the go-ahead lead with two outs in the ninth. The Rays snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, beating the first-place Yankees, 5-4.


Source: FanGraphs

Blake Snell got the start and allowed one run on three hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four. Snell threw an inefficient 93 pitches (56 strikes, 60% strike rate) and did not have a clean inning in his first three frames, yet his only real mistake resulted in an Edwin Encarnacion solo shot in the fourth inning. Snell exited the contest in line for his sixth win of the season. The southpaw lowered his ERA by 15 points to 4.55 and has managed a 3.82 K/BB across 95 innings on the season.

Meanwhile, d’Arnaud gave the Rays a first-inning lead when he hit a solo homer to right on a 3-2 pitch off starter James Paxton to start the game.

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsFL/status/1150906430444036096

d’Arnaud hit another solo shot in the third inning on a 1-0 pitch for a two-run lead.

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsFL/status/1150918325788016640

The backstop now has two multi-home run games with Tampa Bay, and eight homers on the season, three of which have come against New York.

Yet for the second consecutive game against Paxton, the Rays were unable to tack on any runs in spite of numerous opportunities.

In the fourth inning, Avisail Garcia hit a one-out infield hit but was thrown out trying to go first to third on Kevin Kiermaier’s single to right. Then in the fifth inning, Willy Adames singled to left and swiped second, although he was picked off second when Joey Wendle squared around to bunt.

An inning later, Garcia walked after an infield single by Yandy Diaz. However, Kiermaier struck out and Guillermo Heredia hit a soft liner to short, ending the threat. The Rays ultimately went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Yankee starters have posted a 2.49 ERA (22 earned runs across 79-2/3 IP) against Tampa Bay this season.

Down by a run in the seventh, New York tied the game on a two-out, 0-2 homer by Gio Urshela off Emilio Pagan. Pagan followed by allowing a walk and a hit before he struck out Aaron Judge on a high, 96 mph fastball to keep the game knotted up at two apiece.

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsFL/status/1150947492638281728

Andrew Kittredge followed Pagan in the eighth inning and struck out Luke Voit and Gary Sanchez. However, Aaron Hicks singled to right before Edwin Encarnacion worked a nine-pitch at-bat, consequently resulting in a two-run homer to left, giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead.

Down by a pair in the ninth, Kiermaier and Heredia singled to start the frame against All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. However, Adames and Wendle struck out giving the Rays one last shot. With two on and two out, d’Arnaud worked an eight-pitch at-bat before homered into the short porch in right on a hanging slider.

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsFL/status/1150958175572488192

Kittredge, who put the Rays behind in the eighth, got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth before he walked Aaron Judge to extend the frame. At 38 pitches (29 strikes, 76% strike rate), Kittredge was lifted in favor of The Drake. Voit worked a full count before he struck out looking to end the game.

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsFL/status/1150963023432933376

It was Tampa Bay’s first win this season when trailing after eight innings (1-32), and New York’s first loss when leading after eight (49-1). After winning just one ballgame against the Yankees all season, Tampa Bay has won the last three meetings against New York.

Noteworthiness

Ryne Stanek (0-2, 3.14 ERA) will open for the Rays and will be followed by left-hander Jalen Beeks (5-0, 2.79 ERA), who will be recalled before the game. They’ll be opposed by C.C. Sabathia (5-4, 4.03 ERA).

In 26 opens this season, Ryne Stanek has a 1.98 ERA and has struck out 46 across 41 innings. The Rays are 17-9 in games started by Stanek this season. The right-hander threw two perfect frames on Sunday, although he gave up four runs in one inning the last time he faced the Yankees.

Jalen Beeks was initially optioned to Triple-A Durham at the end of June, but he’ll return to the big league roster for the second game of the series. Beeks has managed a 2.79 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP across 61-1/3 innings this season, with 51 punchouts. Beeks was stretched out to 80 pitches at Triple-A.

C.C. Sabathia allowed three runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts across seven innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay on Saturday. Even though he didn’t capture his third consecutive win, Sabathia did post his third straight quality start. He’s pitched fairly well since the beginning of June, although a couple of bad outings have bloated his ERA to 4.67 in his last six starts. He now is 18-16 with a 3.59 ERA in 52 career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Micheal Brosseau (1-2, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (5-15, RBI, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (6-19, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Nate Lowe (1-2, HR, 2 RBI), Tommy Pham (4-13, RBI, BB), Joey Wendle (1-2)

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 7/16/19 Starting Lineup

    null
  1. d’Arnaud 1B
  2. Pham DH
  3. Brosseau 2B
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Meadows LF
  7. Adames SS
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— In order to make room for Beeks on the 25-man roster, the Rays optioned outfielder Guillermo Heredia.

— Tyler Glasnow, who has been on the shelf with a flexor strain since the beginning of May, will not be allowed to begin his throwing program for at least two weeks after his latest MRI, which came back clean.

The Rays are taking a cautious approach with Glasnow, who is an important piece in the long-term puzzle

Rays manager Kevin Cash announced Monday that the right-hander may not make it back this season, which could intensify the team’s efforts to acquire pitching before the July 31 trade deadline.

— Anthony Bemboom, who the Rays activated from the IL then designated for assignment Monday afternoon, has been acquired by the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations. The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster ahead of the pending activation of Matt Duffy from the IL.

TNWN: Rays in salvage mode; Glasnow and Duffy updates

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  • Despite going 1-for-4 with an RBI, not even Avisail Garcia could help the Rays defeat the New York Yankees on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays are in salvage mode after dropping the first two games in New York against the Yankees. Tampa Bay enters play at 2-6 against the Yankees this season and has lost 14 of the last 15 road series with the Yankees (the Rays are 12-33 in New York 2014).

The 6-3 loss yesterday was all the more disappointing since the pitching staff (minus Ryan Yarbrough, who was excellent) could not contain the Yankees, not to mention Yandy Diaz (left hamstring tightness) was not in the lineup. Diaz has been placed on the Injured List retroactive to Monday, while INF Daniel Robertson has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

Diaz left Sunday’s game in the ninth inning, and hasn’t played since. Rays manager Kevin Cash spoke about the potential loss of Diaz prior to the roster move.

We’re trying to take it as a day-to-day thing. The last thing you want to do is put him out there when he’s not feeling right and something maybe a little more severe possibly could happen. He’s been such a big part of the offense lately, even on the homestand he was really swinging the bat well. We don’t want to lose him for an extended period of time.

— Kevin Cash

Speaking of poor pitching, Rays skipper Kevin Cash said that pulling Yarbrough for Chaz Roe — who allowed three runs in 2/3 of an inning on Tuesday, and eight runs across 5-2/3 innings extending back to June 2 — was a “difficult decision,” however, he wanted the matchup against all the Yankees right-handed hitters. Cash went on to say that even though Oliver Drake was warming up in the bullpen, he wanted to stay with Roe through the frame.

For his part, Roe said, “I felt good. I threw some pitches that were out of the zone and they were just able to get enough wood on it for it to fall in. Things just didn’t go my way tonight.”

Personally, I would love to stop seeing Chaz Roe in any high leverage situations, as would most Rays fans.

Over the life of this series, Tampa Bay has been outscored 9-3 and out homered 4-0. The Rays have now allowed 16 homers in the last 15 days, while New York has homered in 21 consecutive games — four shy of the franchise record. Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) the Rays are 8-8 in their stretch of 21 games in 20 days from June 4-23 and are 16-13 in their stretch of 34 games in 34 days.

The New What Next

Left-hander Blake Snell (4-5, 3.70 ERA) will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Grimace lookalike C.C. Sabathia (3-4, 4.42 ERA).

Blake Snell allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks across 3-1/3 against the Angels on Friday. He struck out three. That start marked Snell’s shortest outing since May 1, although he was able to avoid a loss because the Rays offense scored nine runs against the Angels bullpen. Snell has been a little hot and cold of late, yielding just one run in three of his last seven starts, but more than three runs in under five frames in his other two. Overall, Snell is 4-5 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 101 punch outs across 75-1/3 innings this season, and is 3-5 with a 3.97 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees (59.0 innings of work).

C.C. Sabathia coughed up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and three walks while striking out three over 4-2/3 innings against the White Sox. Sabathia was tagged for four first-inning runs, including a three-run blast by Eloy Jimenez, and things went downhill from there. The left-hander had been taken deep at least once in nine straight starts, and as a result, he carries a 4.42 ERA and 2.38 K/BB through 57 into his next outing against Tampa Bay, on Wednesday. Over his career against the Rays, Sabathia is 17-16 with a 3.63 ERA and is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season ― although he averaged 5.5 IP in each of those starts. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (3-12, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-9, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (5-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-4, BB), Austin Meadows (1-4, BB), Joey Wendle (1-2), Mike Zunino (5-11, HR, RBI, BB)

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

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees ― yet another series preview

Rays 6/19/19 Starting Lineup

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

Noteworthiness

― Tyler Glasnow was happy with his 15 pitch bullpen session (all fastballs) and lines up to throw another on Friday.

First time throwing off the mound in a long time, but it felt like I hadn’t taken any time off, so that’s good.

― Tyler Glasnow

The right-hander hasn’t thrown any breaking balls yet but said working on his lower-half mechanics will make it easier to spin the ball, which he will likely start next week.

I’m a big believer, for me anyway, the more consistent I am and strong in the low half, like if my hips are in the right spot and I’m not cross firing and I feel strong with my legs and everything comes out in the right spot. So I know if my fastball feels good, my curveball is going to feel good. It’s basically like the exact same thing, it’s just over and under. But the consistency as far as pitch location was extremely good, so I know my curveball will come along.

― Tyler Glasnow

― 3B Matt Duffy (hamstring, back) took batting practice with the Gulf Coast League Rays yesterday, and logged at-bats in a simulated game in Port Charlotte. The Rays manager said Duffy told him this is “probably the best he’s felt where he has not felt anything in his hamstring, which is a great sign.”

We’ll start this back up, the buildup, the playing time. He’s still got a ways to go. Everything’s been interrupted so far. Hopefully, we can get it to go with no interruptions.

— Kevin Cash