NORTH PORT, Fla. -- A month into Spring Training, the Rays¡¯ toughest decisions to shape their Opening Day roster have somehow become even more difficult.
Their rotation logjam, with six starters for five spots, hasn¡¯t sorted itself out. Curtis Mead¡¯s ridiculously hot spring has given veteran slugger Eloy Jim¨¦nez some tough competition for the final spot on the bench. Their bullpen looks as deep as ever, with more candidates than jobs. They¡¯ve endured no major injuries to this point. Nobody seems to be playing their way out of anything, either.
The Rays typically take their Opening Day roster decisions down to the wire. The way this camp has gone to this point gives them even more reason to do so. But with the Rays¡¯ first off-day on deck, let¡¯s take another shot at projecting their 26-man roster to begin the season and look at how it could all fit together.
Catcher (2): Danny Jansen, Ben Rortvedt
Manager Kevin Cash has said the Rays expect Jansen to play ¡°a lot¡± and carry ¡°a pretty big workload¡± behind the plate. The right-handed-hitting free-agent addition has a natural complement in Rortvedt, a left-handed hitter who emerged as the regular catcher last year.
First base/designated hitter (2): Yandy D¨ªaz, Jonathan Aranda
Aranda has some versatility, given his ability to play second base, but the Rays might see more value in having one of their key left-handed hitters spend most of his time at first base while giving D¨ªaz more DH days. D¨ªaz has battled a number of nagging injuries in recent years, and it¡¯s critical that Tampa Bay keep his bat in the lineup, whether he¡¯s batting leadoff or put in a spot where he could drive in more runs.
Second base (1): Brandon Lowe
Lowe played some first base when D¨ªaz was unavailable last season, and he did some of his best hitting as Tampa Bay¡¯s DH. But the Rays believe their best roster has Lowe at second base, and few at the position can provide the kind of power Lowe offers at his best. He¡¯s been healthy this spring, and when he¡¯s healthy, he hits.
Shortstop (1): Taylor Walls
Ha-Seong Kim will take over here whenever he¡¯s fully healthy, which could be sometime in May. But this job should primarily belong to the defensively elite Walls to begin the season, and he figures to remain the top backup there upon Kim¡¯s return.
Third base (1): Junior Caminero
No questions here. After an eventful offseason, Caminero has shown his special power at the plate this spring. He¡¯s expecting a big year in his first full Major League season, and that would go a long way for the Rays.
Outfield (3): Christopher Morel, Jonny DeLuca, Josh Lowe
Morel is hoping to break through as the regular left fielder after a rough introduction to the Rays last season. DeLuca will get a path to more playing time in center field. And Lowe is arguably the top bounce-back candidate on a roster full of them, with the potential to make a massive impact as the regular right fielder like he did in 2023.
Utility (3): Jos¨¦ Caballero, Richie Palacios, Curtis Mead
Palacios and Caballero are the Rays¡¯ newest Swiss Army knives, potentially capable of playing three spots in the infield and all three in the outfield. Most likely, Palacios will settle in as a left-handed-hitting complement to Morel and DeLuca in the outfield, while Caballero will get a lot of his early reps in the infield behind Walls, Caminero and Brandon Lowe. But the fact that both can play six positions should give Cash a lot of in-game flexibility.
The unsettled issue here is Mead vs. Jim¨¦nez. After packing on muscle over the offseason and getting back to his roots in the batter¡¯s box, Mead has looked every bit like the former consensus Top 100 prospect this spring -- and he offers some defensive versatility at first, second and third base. Meanwhile, Jim¨¦nez reported to camp in great shape but got off to a slower start at the plate.
They seem to be competing for one spot, primarily as a right-handed-hitting DH/bench bat. How it will ultimately play out is anybody¡¯s guess at this point.
Starting pitchers (6): Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, Taj Bradley
Again, this is not to say the Rays will run a six-man rotation to start the season. They have been reluctant to line up six starters in the past and have given no indication that they will do so now. But this is more so to suggest there could be room for all six of their top starters, whether one temporarily transitions to a swingman/bullpen role or finds another way to work into the mix, perhaps as a piggyback-type pitcher behind one of their starters with workload restrictions following an injury. Flamethrowing trade acquisition Joe Boyle has looked good this spring, and it'll be hard to keep him out of the big leagues if he's consistently throwing strikes.
Relief pitchers (7): Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta, Manuel Rodr¨ªguez, Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Kelly, Alex Faedo, Mason Montgomery
The rotation composition will affect this, because there would be an extra spot to fill if only five starting candidates break camp on the roster. The addition of Faedo made it tougher for the Rays to carry right-hander Mike Vasil, whose versatility was one of his top selling points when the Rays acquired him in the Rule 5 Draft. Out of options, Faedo looks like the favorite for the last spot. But there are plenty of other arms -- including Hunter Bigge, Cole Sulser, Eric Orze and Mason Englert -- who could claim that spot or serve as quality depth.
Injured list (2): SS Ha-Seong Kim, LHP Nate Lavender
Kim is expected to start the season on the injured list while recovering from right shoulder surgery, with hopes of returning in May. Lavender, another Rule 5 Draft pick, might not be ready to compete for a spot in the bullpen until midseason as he recovers from an internal brace procedure.