This will be an interesting season for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays will play all of their home games at Steinbrenner Field this season due to the roof damage from Hurricane Milton at Tropicana Field.
The Rays still have to address the stadium issue, as it appears they have abandoned plans to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg.
There are reports that Rays management (Stuart Sternberg is the principal owner) has burnt bridges on both sides of the bay, which is not comforting for Rays fans.
Commissioner Rob Manfred is committed to keeping baseball in the Bay Area. Still, ultimately, it may come down to Sternberg selling the team to an individual or group that commits to keeping baseball in the Tampa Bay area.
Rays Infield
This is the first of four articles in which we will examine this 2025 team. Today, we look at the catchers and the infielders.
The Rays signed Danny Jansen to a two-year contract at catcher, a significant offensive upgrade over Ben Rortvedt. Jansen had nine homers and drove in 24 runs last season. By signing Jansen, the Rays get more production from the catcher position.
Ben Rortvedt and Logan Driscoll will back up Jansen this season. Rortvedt hit .206 last season while hitting three homers and 31 RBI’s. The Rays are counting on Jansen to help them improve the offense. Last season, the Rays catchers were the fourth worst in baseball offensively. Although they have struggled offensively, the Rays catchers have been good defensively.
It’s just a matter of time until Driscoll takes over as catcher. He had a brief stint with the Rays last season, but barring an injury, Driscoll will start the season at Durham.
Yandy Diaz will start the season at first base. Diaz took a step back last season offensively, hitting .281 with 14 homers and 65 RBI’s. Diaz will be looking to regain his 2023 form when he led the league in hitting with a .330 average while belting 24 home runs.
Brandon Lowe will once again be back at second base. The key for Lowe is staying healthy. Lowe played in 149 games in 2021, the most he has played in a season with the Rays. Lowe played in 107 games last season.
The Rays shocked everyone by signing shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year contract. Kim had his season cut short with San Diego last season, playing in just 121 games, but he still hit .233 with 11 homers and 47 runs batted in. Kim’s bat is a significant improvement over Taylor Walls offensively, and his defense is above average. Kim signed a 2-year, $29 million contract with the Rays but will not be available until early or late May as he recovers from off-season shoulder surgery.
The time has finally come for Junior Caminero to be a fixture in Tampa’s everyday lineup. The Rays are counting on Caminero to bring some juice to the offense. In 165 at-bats last season, Caminero hit .265 with six homers and 18 RBI’s.
Once Kim is back and is the everyday starting shortstop, Walls will be one of the utility infielders. The Rays like Walls because of his versatility, as he can play multiple infield positions. Along with Walls, Jose Caballero and Jonathan Aranda will be the utility infielders for the Rays this season. Curtis Mead will get another chance to stay with the big-league club this season. Mead puts up big numbers in the minor leagues but has struggled to duplicate those numbers at the big-league level.
SS Carson Williams, 1B Xavier Isaac, INF Brayden Taylor, and 1B Tre Morgan are all waiting for their chance in the big leagues, and all four could see time in Tampa this season.