The Tampa Bay Rays are in fourth place in the AL East and three games back from a wild-card spot.

Tampa Bay finished the 2024 season with a record of 80-82 and missed the postseason. Tampa Bay needed to make moves to contend in 2025, but the organization typically prioritizes a lower payroll, and its offseason reflects its values.

The Rays signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and catcher Danny Jansen. The Rays also traded centerfielder Jose Siri to the New York Mets for reliever Eric Orze.

Tampa Bay’s offense has been solid during the 2025 campaign, led by Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero.

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The offense is in the top five in batting average and the top 10 for runs scored. The Rays are just outside of the top 10 for RBIs and are in the top half of the league for slugging percentage, on-base percentage and home runs.

The pitching has also been steady, led by Drew Rasmussen, Zack Littell and Ryan Pepiot.

Tampa Bay is in the top five for preventing walks and walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP). Tampa is in the top half of the league for ERA and batting average allowed, but gives up the sixth-most home runs.

Injuries have been a story for the Rays this season. Ace Shane McClanahan has yet to pitch this season, reliever Manuel Rodriguez will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season, Lowe is on the 10-day injured list, and Kim has played in only 10 games.

If Tampa Bay wants to get one of the wild-card spots, getting healthy will be a top priority, and adding a reliable bullpen arm would be helpful for its success.

Tampa Bay Rays Schedule & Tickets

• August 15: at San Francisco Giants
• August 16: at San Francisco Giants
• August 17: at San Francisco Giants
• August 19: vs. New York Yankees
• August 20: vs. New York Yankees
• August 21: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
• August 22: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
• August 24: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
• August 25: at Cleveland Guardians
• August 26: at Cleveland Guardians
• August 27: at Cleveland Guardians
• August 29: at Washington Nationals
• August 30: at Washington Nationals
• August 31: at Washington Nationals
• September 1: vs. Seattle Mariners
• September 2: vs. Seattle Mariners
• September 3: vs. Seattle Mariners
• September 4: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 5: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 6: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 7: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 9: at Chicago White Sox
• September 10: at Chicago White Sox
• September 11: at Chicago White Sox
• September 12: at Chicago Cubs
• September 13: at Chicago Cubs
• September 14: at Chicago Cubs
• September 15: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• September 16: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• September 17: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• September 18: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• September 19: vs. Boston Red Sox
• September 20: vs. Boston Red Sox
• September 21: vs. Boston Red Sox
• September 23: at Baltimore Orioles
• September 24: at Baltimore Orioles
• September 25: at Baltimore Orioles
• September 26: at Toronto Blue Jays
• September 27: at Toronto Blue Jays
• September 28: at Toronto Blue Jays

Tampa Bay Rays Odds

Tampa Bay has +350 odds to make the postseason. If the Rays get in, it’s unlikely that the team goes on a run, as Vegas gives the Rays +3000 odds to win the American League and +6600 odds to win the World Series.

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Wander Franco, who is still under contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, was convicted of sexual abuse in a Dominican court last month. Franco, who faced charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking, received a two-year suspended sentence.

In January 2024, prosecutors delivered roughly 600 pages of evidence alleging that Franco had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl for four months. He was also accused of providing the girl’s mother with cash payments and a car in exchange for her consenting to the relationship. The girl’s mother received a 10-year prison sentence.

While awaiting trial, Franco was arrested on a gun-related charge following an altercation in November 2024. He faces a separate legal case for the gun charge.

Now that the criminal proceedings in the Dominican Republic are complete, Franco will be investigated by MLB and will face a suspension under the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Criminal charges or a conviction are not required for discipline under the domestic violence policy.

“Major League Baseball is proud to have a collectively bargained Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that reflects our commitment to these issues,” the league said in a statement Thursday. “We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.”

The longest suspension under the league’s domestic violence policy is the 324-game ban given to Trevor Bauer in April 2022, after multiple women accused him of sexual abuse. Bauer’s suspension was later reduced to 194 games on appeal.

Franco last played a game for the Rays on August 12, 2023. He was on administrative leave from that day through July 10, 2024, when charges were filed. At that point, he was placed on the restricted list. Franco has not been paid nor received service time while on the restricted list. This is Year 5 of the 11-year, $182 million contract extension he signed in November 2021.

The 24-year-old was once one of the brightest young stars in the game. He finished third in the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year voting despite playing only 70 games, and was an All-Star in 2022.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who’s on trial on charges that include sexual abuse of a minor, was charged Sunday with illegal possession of a handgun, prosecutors said.

Franco was arrested on November 10 in San Juan de la Maguana after an altercation in a parking lot. No one was injured during the fight, and the gun, a semiautomatic Glock 19, was found in Franco’s vehicle, according to a statement from the Dominican Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The gun was registered in the name of Franco’s uncle, prosecutors said in the statement. After the arrest, Antonio Garcia Lorenzo, one of Franco’s lawyers, said that because the gun was licensed, “There’s nothing illegal about it.”

Prosecutors are requesting that Franco stand trial on the gun charge.

The 24-year-old Franco’s trial in the sexual abuse case – involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time of his alleged crimes – is ongoing. The charges in that case include sexual abuse of a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor and human trafficking.

According to prosecutors, Franco kidnapped the girl for sexual purposes and “sent large sums of money to her mother.”

Franco, who is on supervised release, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

The Rays’ shortstop was playing his third major league season when his career was stopped in August 2023 due to the allegations.

Franco agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He’s currently on the MLB’s restricted list.

Should he not be able to play again, the Rays would seem to have legal ground to go after some or all of his record-setting contract.

Before last Thursday, Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios lived in the shadow of his family’s clutch performances. His brother, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Josh Palacios, hit a dramatic walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, 2023. Their uncle, former Kansas City Royals catcher Rey Palacios, had his moment of glory with a walk-off grand slam against the Boston Red Sox on May 14, 1990.

But Richie has now etched his name into the family’s clutch legacy. His walk-off single on Thursday secured a thrilling 6-5 victory for the Rays over the Oakland Athletics, marking his first walk-off hit in his three-year MLB career.

Reflecting on his family’s history of walk-off moments, Richie shared his excitement postgame. “I was doing an interview the other day, and my brother has a walk-off, and my uncle has a walk-off. And I said in the interview, ‘Better get a walk-off before this becomes a family thing.’ I didn’t know it was going to come [Thursday], but it is exciting that it did,” he told reporters.

The game was a roller-coaster, with the Rays and Athletics exchanging leads multiple times. Palacios’s clutch hit came at a critical moment, highlighting his growth and resilience as a player. This walk-off boosted the Rays in their playoff chase and solidified Palacios’s place in a family known for delivering in high-pressure moments.

Clutch performances appear to be a tradition for the Palacios family. Richie’s achievement on Thursday is a testament to his perseverance and talent, proving that the knack for game-winning hits runs deep in their blood. As the Rays continue their season, fans can expect more from Richie Palacios, who now stands proudly alongside his brother and uncle in the annals of baseball’s most exciting moments.

Prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco of sexually exploiting at least one minor and making hush money payments to silence family members. A judge will reportedly make a ruling in the case on Friday.

In a statement released Wednesday and later translated to English, prosecutors requested an $86,000 bond for Franco. He has been detained since Monday for failing to appear at summons last week and has not yet been arrested for any charges brought forward by prosecutors. He cannot be released until Friday when a judge will make an initial ruling on the case’s next steps. The judge can choose to release Franco on bond, detain him and prevent him from leaving the country, or force him to appear at certain intervals as the case progresses.

“The Puerto Plata Prosecutor’s Office … filed this Wednesday the request for a coercive measure against the Major League baseball player, Wander Franco, and the mother of a minor, who are charged with the crimes of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering,” the prosecutor’s statement said.

All other names in the case, which allegedly involve multiple minors and family members, have been kept private. The Tampa Bay Rays, who signed Franco to an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, have not commented on the recent development in his case. The team has not publicly addressed Franco’s legal trouble since August when MLB and local law enforcement in the Dominican Republic first began investigating.

“We support any steps taken by the league to better understand the situation,” the Rays said in a statement at the time. “Out of respect for all parties involved, we have no further comments at this time.”

Franco was placed on the restricted list in August and has not competed for Tampa Bay since, though he continued to receive money for the duration of the season. The Rays reactivated him at the end of the season, but this was simply a clerical move, as the team has no intention of fielding Franco until the investigations and court proceedings conclude.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed reliever Chris Devenski on a one-year contract with a club option for 2025. 

Devenski will get $1 million for the Rays in 2024, with another million for 2025 if the option is picked up. His contract will also have a $100,000 buyout. 

Devenski began the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels and went 6-4 with a 4.46 ERA. He finished that season with the Rays and helped them to an American League Wild Card round, where they lost to the World Series champions Texas Rangers in a two-game set.

Devenski has also players with the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros, where they won the World Series in 2017.

Devenski’s signing is being seen by analysts as a depth move for the Rays pitching rotation. 

Someone should inform the residents of Tampa, Florida, that their baseball team just got knocked out of the playoffs. They probably won’t be too distressed.

The Tampa Bay Rays lost Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series Wednesday to the Texas Rangers, who will advance to the ALDS to face the Baltimore Orioles. The Rays played very poorly in both games, losing 4-0 and 7-1, finishing a 99-win 2023 season with a bitter 0-2 sweep. But with so little occurring on the field, the crowd (or lack thereof) became the story of this series.

In Game 1 Tuesday, the Rays reported an attendance of 19,704 fans at Tropicana Field. The following day, in the final game of Tampa’s season, 20,198 fans showed up. With a capacity of 42,735 at the Trop, this means that less than half of the seats were filled as one of the best teams in baseball made its fifth straight postseason appearance. The two games earned records as the lowest and second-lowest attended MLB non-pandemic postseason games in more than a century.

Before I scold Rays fans for letting their team down, it’s important to recognize that there are obstacles to attending a Rays game on any day. Tropicana Field is not located in Tampa but in St. Peterburg, a smaller city 26 miles away. The stadium is outdated, providing little comfort to fans by modern standards. The nonretractable roof prevents the team from playing in the Florida sunshine and the field is still artificial turf, a rarity in MLB today.

It didn’t help that the games occurred a little after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, presumably when many people were working. But this is where the excuses end for Rays fans. In 2019 and 2021, Tampa also hosted playoff games and did not come close to selling out the stadium for any of them. It’s impossible to know if this has any correlation to the team’s notorious lack of postseason success, but it’s hard to imagine the team playing worse than it did against Texas in this most recent series.

It feels obvious to say, but when your team makes the postseason, you go. The travel across the Tampa Bay area to St. Petersburg could very well be a pain, but there are plenty of examples of fans going out of their way to support their teams. No one in New York would ever be caught dead in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on any day but Sunday, as the Jets and Giants have boasted high attendance numbers at MetLife Stadium for years.

The Rays are a frustrating story of talent failing to transfer to popularity, as outside factors prevent the team from enjoying the same fanbase shared by other teams in the area. The NFL’s Buccaneers have seldom enjoyed packed stadiums by NFL standards, but the fanbase is loyal and passionate and promises some noise every weekend. The NHL’s Lightning is consistently one of the most watched teams in the league. The Rays, a consistently strong team with star power and wins to back up their reputation, were booed by their own scattershot crowd as they ended yet another postseason run prematurely.

“Some boos starting to come down from the group,” ESPN commentator Sean McDonough said during Game 2. “I’m not sure we can call it a crowd. The group here at the Trop.”

Currently boasting the second-best record in the MLB, the Baltimore Orioles sit at the top of AL East over the Tampa Bay Rays, who have been slumping as of late.

Prior to Thursday’s kickoff game for the series against the Rays, the Orioles were already ranked ahead of Tampa Bay, as this was the first time after the All-Star break since August 15, 2016.

Starting July off six and a half games back, Baltimore has the lead over the Rays, who are now two back, after winning Friday’s matchup (3-0) but losing on Saturday against the Orioles (6-5). This is an incredible turnaround for a team that is now only behind the Atlanta Braves from the NL East at 63-34.

“It’s just July, that’s kind of where I’m at right now,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “This team [the Rays] is so good and so hard to play, especially here. We’ve been on the other side of those types of games I can’t tell you how many times.”

Their win 4-3 against the Rays ended in the tenth inning on a sacrifice fly hit by Baltimore rookie outfielder Colton Cowser, who recapped the win Thursday night.

“I think tonight was a great team win,” Cowser said as he wrapped up his 11th major league game.

Center fielder Aaron Hicks started the tenth inning on second base as the automatic runner, advancing on second baseman and pinch hitter Adam Frazier‘s sacrifice bunt. On Cowser’s fly to left against Rays relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (1-4), Hicks was able to get home.

Hyde commented on his relief pitcher Felix Bautista (5-1) after the win, as he had a perfect ninth inning and stayed on for the following 10th inning for the Orioles.

“How about Felix Bautista?” Hyde said. “I’m so lucky to have him. The reason why he pitched the tenth is because he had such an efficient ninth. … He’s amazing.”

Rays first baseman Luke Raley was hit by a pitch from the Orioles pitcher, for Bautista to then strike out Rays left outfielder Randy Arozarena. Second baseman Brandon Lowe‘s ground ball for Tampa Bay resulted in a game-ending double play that led to the Baltimore win.

In the eighth inning, the game was tied 3-3, as Orioles third baseman Ramon Urias when made a diving stop on Rays designated hitter Harold Ramirez‘s grounder with two on and threw him out at first. Tampa Bay was trailing 3-1 before rallying back in the seventh inning, with Ray’s third baseman Taylor Walls singling and Christian Bethancourt, Tampa Bay’s catcher, following up by ending the Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Gibson‘s night with a bunt.

This then led to a two-run double from Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz on Orioles relief pitcher Yennier Cano. But Baltimore had a three-score flurry in the fourth inning, thanks to rookie third baseman Gunnar Henderson. Due to his foot speed paired with intelligent base running, Henderson got to third base after hitting a lead-off triple when Arozarena fielded the hit down the left-field line, resulting in a lobbed throw toward the infield after.

“It was tough to see,” Arozarena said through a translator. “I think it was more my fault throwing the ball really soft.”

Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow followed up with a pitch, as the Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Baltimore first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.

This then led to a charged error for Rays catcher Francisco Mejia after the ball got loose on a tag attempt for Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander, which ultimately resulted in Baltimore’s lead 3-1 after Hick’s single.

The Rays had scoring opportunities, as they had at least one runner in position to score for each inning for the first five, but only scored one thanks to Mejia’s second-inning RBI single. Unfortunately for Meija, on Friday it was announced he will likely be out for 3-6 weeks with the left MCL sprain that sent him to the injured list.

“Ugly, yeah,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the inning. Tampa Bay previously was on a five-game losing streak before winning on Saturday, on par with the Pittsburgh Pirates in losing record going 4-14 in July.

Following Thursday night’s win and their Friday/Saturday matchups in the rearview for the Orioles, Baltimore ended up winning the series 3-1 over Tampa Bay. Their most recent win over the Rays on Sunday (5-3) further showcases their case as the top team in the American League at 61 wins and 38 losses.

Both teams from the AL East will be looking to contend in the playoffs by the time early October rolls around. There are still two months of the regular season left, so the division leader is not set yet.

They’re not going to go 162-0. While the Tampa Bay Rays, still undefeated after 12 games in 2023, are indisputably the hottest team in baseball, their recent string of success seems to be just as circumstantial as it is earned. It’s only a matter of time before the highly competitive AL East division tightens once more and the current division leaders have to contend for a playoff spot against more worthy competitors.

To argue that the Rays’ historic season-starting winning streak, just one game away from the all-time record as of April 13, is due in part to good fortune is not to discredit the team in any way. Through 12 games, the likes of Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena and Shane McClanahan have been immensely impressive, confirming the team’s seemingly perennial status as a World Series contender despite a shoestring budget.

But Tampa Bay’s domination over the American League has come against — by far — the worst opposition any team in MLB has had to face thus far. The Rays rank dead last in strength of schedule for games played by a wide margin. If they were viewed individually, series sweeps against the Tigers, Nationals and Athletics meant little more than taking care of business for Tampa Bay.

Taking the first two in a series against the Red Sox, arguably the worst team in the AL East, is similarly typical. Nine of these 12 wins came in home games as well. Together, they form a formidable winning streak, but none of these would have been statement wins under normal circumstances.

Forming any sort of streak in baseball is difficult, and the Rays deserve credit for forming a team more than capable of handling less competitive organizations. But the excitement surrounding the team, which includes sky-rocketing power rankings assessments and extremely early championship buzz, does not necessarily feel earned. They have not yet defeated a team that made the playoffs last year.

The value in a baseball season is that its grueling 162-game schedule has a way of ferreting out pretenders. These tried and tested regular season champions aren’t always rewarded in the playoffs, but they usually deserve to be there. The Rays could very well belong in the postseason this year, but they haven’t proven that yet. No one has, and beating the Athletics in April can only mean so much to that end.

Despite being bitter rivals, the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays teamed up Thursday for the greater good.

During New York’s eventual 7-2 victory, each team’s Twitter account refrained from tweeting about the game and instead shared gun violence facts. The act was, of course, in response the recent deadly shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas.

The Yankees won the game, but both teams hit home runs here.

“In lieu of game coverage and in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Rays, we will be using our channels to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence,” the Yankees tweeted Thursday evening. “The devastating events that have taken place in Uvalde, Buffalo and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable.”

“This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know, if nothing changes, nothing changes,” the Rays tweeted.

“We understand that no single organization can solve this crisis alone, but working together, we can make an impact,” the Rays said. “We invite you to join us and do what you can, when you can, where you can—because our lives depend on it.”

On Monday, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 and leveled up to the ALCS. The game 4 match-up ended the American League Divisional Series and made for a dramatic event in Boston.

The Red Sox were off to a dream start after rallying to score five runs in the bottom of the third inning. The series was 2-1 in favor of Boston, and this was turning out to be one of their easiest ALDS wins in recent history. However, the Rays showed desire and grit to keep Boston fans on the edge of their seats starting in the top of the fifth.

Austin Meadows grounded out to first to drive in Jordan Luplow with Tampa’s first score of the game. Tampa’s push intensified after Wander Franco hit a 418-foot bomb into the stands to add two runs to the scoreboard in the top of the sixth. After slowly but steadily climbing back out of an early hole, Kevin Kiermair scored his second run of the game to spur a comeback and send Red Sox fans into a nervous frenzy. It was 5-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Then, just like that, with a possible late come-from-behind loss in the back of his mind, Enrique Hernandez stepped up to the plate. Hernandez overcame the pressure and Fenway Park erupted – seemingly trying to shake its way onto the Richter Scale – after he cracked a J.P Feyereisen pitch to the left-center field which drove Danny Santana to score.

Boston is now in the American League Championship Series following Monday’s victory and their win against the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Game. Their opponent is yet to be decided as the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros duke it out for the spot. The ALCS Game 1 will take place on Oct. 15.

On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays marched past the Houston Astros with a swift 7-0 shutout. Although the Rays had already earned a spot in the postseason, this win secured them home-field advantage for the first two playoff rounds — the team with the league’s best record is handed home-field advantage for the Division Series, and if they win, the League Championship Series as well. 

The Rays held their composure and earned their keep with clutch performances from pitcher Drew Rasmussen, first basemen Ji-Man Choi and second baseman Brandon Lowe.

Rasmussen threw five shutout innings with 54 pitches. He made it nearly impossible for the Astros to get on base. The infield was sharp as well with Choi and Lowe making incredible contributions both defensively and offensively. The two joined forces to drive in five runs with three hits and a homer each.

This Tampa Bay team now has the most wins in franchise history — they reached 98-60 with four games to go. With a record-breaking win and the best record in the AL, they will play a five-game series against the winner of the AL Wild Card Game. They will surely utilize their earned home-field advantage and look to keep the momentum of their season rolling. The first game of the series will take place on Oct. 7, and they will know who their opponent will be on Oct. 5.

The Tampa Bay Rays gave 6-foot-4 minor league stand-out Josh Lowe a chance to prove himself last Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. He did not disappoint. Lowe got the first hit of his MLB career on his debut off of a sliding Nathan Eovaldi pitch.

Lowe, a first-round draft pick for the Ray’s in 2016, has been steadily improving his defensive and offensive prowess during his time in the minors. In his first few years, despite his solid fundamentals, he did not quite perform to his standards. However, he was still young. Lowe, 23, has had his best season by far with the Durham Bulls — enough so to be called up to the major leagues. In 98 games for the Bulls, he has recorded 21 home runs, 73 RBIs and batting .282.  

Lowe was thrilled about his debut at Fenway Park. “Pretty surreal. It’s an awesome moment. Just taking it all in,” he said. “Couldn’t make it in a more historic park.”

Little did he know that he was to record his first MLB hit in that historic park. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Lowe stepped up to the plate in a bustling Fenway. He was able to adjust to a tricky Eovaldi pitch and connect, sending the ball just short of the third baseman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k-TnLsITrY

Lowe’s call-up comes after outfielder Rany Arozarena left for two games on paternity leave.  Although Lowe may just be filling in during Arozarena’s absence, he has given Tampa fans a hopeful indication of what is to come.

David Robertson signed with the Tampa Bay Rays fresh off his stint with the Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. In Team USA’s silver medal run, the 36-year-old right-handed reliever pitched three innings with an ERA of 6.00.

Robertson tweeted, “Excited and grateful for the opportunity to be with the Rays!! #RaysUp.”

Robertson will report to Triple-A Durham. He last pitched in the MLB in 2019. He was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in seven games with the Philadelphia Phillies before undergoing Tommy John Surgery.

Robertson has a 53-33 record with a 2.90 ERA in 661 relief appearances with the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He was an All-Star in 2011.

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired designated hitter Nelson Cruz in a four-player trade with the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota is sending Cruz and minor-league pitcher Calvin Faucher to the Rays for a pair of talented minor-league pitchers in Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman.

Cruz knew there was a possibility that he would be traded after the Twins fell out of playoff contention. Yet, it was still shocking to be traded away from an organization he’s come to liked in two and a half seasons.

“We thought we should be in the playoff race,” Cruz explained. “Never thought we should be in this situation. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. You never want to leave the places where you are, where you feel comfortable. It is what it is. That’s part of the business.”

“It’s a tough one,” Cruz continued. “I guess it’s a new chapter, and I will embrace it the way I embrace everything in my life to go help the Tampa Bay Rays to win a championship.”

Tampa Bay entered Thursday trailing the Boston Red Sox by one game in the American League East. They currently hold the top wild-card spot.

The 41-year-old slugger is having a great season despite his age. He’s batting .294/.370/.537 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs in 85 games. He earned his seventh All-Star selection and has finished in the top 10 of MVP voting in each of the past two seasons. Cruz’s arrival in Tampa will help them against left-handed pitching. The Rays are currently hitting .226 versus lefties.

A 17-year veteran, Cruz signed a one-year, $13 million deal with Minnesota in February and is set to become a free agent later this year.

The MLB All-Star starters have been revealed. This season was the first time the league implemented a two-part voting process. The first phase of the voting had three finalists for each defensive position. Nine outfielders advanced to the second phase of voting as well as a designated hitter in the American League. The second phase of voting determined the All-Star Game’s starters.

The process saw nine first-time All-Stars selected by the fans to start this year’s game. The headliners included San Diego Padres’ shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, who was voted to start as the AL’s designated hitter.

Mike Trout, who was voted as one of the starting outfielders for the AL, will be unable to play as he is recovering from a strained calf. Toronto leads all teams with three players making the starting lineup.

American League Starters:

• C- Salvador Perez 
• 1B- Vladimir Guerrero Jr 
• 2B- Marcus Semien
• 3B- Rafael Devers
• SS: Xander Bogaerts 
• OF- Mike Trout
• CF- Aaron Judge
• LF- Teoscar Hernández
• DH- Shohei Ohtani

National League Starters:

• C- Buster Posey
• 1B- Freddie Freeman
• 2B- Adam Frazier
• 3B- Nolan Arenado
• SS- Fernando Tatis Jr.
• CF- Ronald Acuña Jr.
• LF- Jesse Winker
• RF- Nick Castellanos

The National League team will be coached for the third consecutive year by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, while Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash will coach the AL.

The rest of the MLB’s All-Stars will be named on July 4. Pitchers and reserves for each team will be determined by a process that considers selections made by the Commissioner’s Office and the player ballot choices.

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is continuing to impress all with his excellent play and milestones.

One of those milestones was becoming the fastest member of the Angels to reach 25 home runs on Sunday. It only took him 77 team games and that is something not even Mike Trout accomplished.

Ohtani homered in the top of the ninth inning to extend the Angels’ lead to 6-4 over the Tampa Bay Rays. Los Angeles held on for a 6-4 win and snapped a five-game losing streak behind Ohtani’s performance.

Ohtani is currently in the midst of a historic season. He is among baseball’s leaders in home runs (26), RBI’s (60) and OPS (1.031). As a pitcher, he has a 2.58 ERA in 11 starts, and 82 strikeouts across 59 ¹/₃ innings.

Ohtani also surpassed a huge milestone by becoming one of two players in American League history to produce 25+ home runs, 10+ stolen bases and 75+ pitching strikeouts in his career. The only other player to achieve that feat is baseball legend Babe Ruth.

On Monday, the Japanese batter/pitcher made another highlight by hitting his 26th home run against the New York Yankees. On the first pitch and his first swing, he delivered a home run deep to right field in Yankee stadium.

“I’m telling you [he likes the big moment],” Angels manager Joe Maddon said of Ohtani, who did go hitless in his next three at-bats, striking out twice. “It was just the right way to start his trip to New York with him hitting a home run.”

The Angels star is blossoming into one of the game’s most exciting players.

Wander Franco has been the number one prospect in Major League Baseball for some time. He made that well-known with a three-run, game-tying bomb in his first game in the big leagues.

The Rays’ highly-touted prospect tied the game at 5 during the 5th inning, and in doing so became the youngest player since B.J. Upton to homer for Tampa Bay. Franco walked in his first at-bat. Following his home run, he doubled and then grounded out.

Franco will look to continue his hot start at the plate and capitalize on an auspicious start to his major league career.

Tyler Glasnow has become a staple of the starting pitching rotation for the Tampa Bay Rays – at least he was before a diagnosis confirmed a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor tendon strain in his throwing arm.

Glasnow blames this injury on the imminent sanctions on substance use Major League Baseball is pursuing. Glasnow normally uses sunscreen, but two starts ago experimented with not using it. Just two starts later, and he is on the Injured List. Glasnow left his most recent start after just four innings, and after medical examination received the disheartening diagnosis. Glasnow stated that he understands the league’s motivations to stop performance-enhancing substances from being used by pitchers, but that banning all forms of gripping substances would be a mistake.

Glasnow then went on to suggest the suddenness with which MLB decided to pursue these changes is truly the most head-scratching choice.

“Do it in the offseason. Give us a chance to adjust to it,” he said. “But I just threw 80 innings, then you tell me I can’t use anything in the middle of the year. I have to change everything I’ve been doing the entire season. I’m telling you I truly believe that’s why I got hurt.”

The lack of grip substance forced Glasnow to squeeze the ball far more tightly than he normally has to, which he sees as a contributing factor to his injury. “Me throwing 100 mph and being [6-foot-7] is why I got hurt, but that contributed.”

The frustration is widespread. Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer also criticized the league, which he says is making a rushed decision that misunderstands the pitcher position.

Instead of possible awards or an All-Star Game appearance, Glasnow will instead be rehabbing and hoping that he will not need surgery on his arm. He will continue to meet with medical staff to evaluate his injury.

Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays center fielder, has been dealing with a peculiar injury regarding his left eye. This injury was described by the Associated Press as “left eye irritation stemming from an eyelash.”.

Kiermaier was forced to leave the contest against Saturday with this injury. He did not start in a game against the Blue Jays the next day.

“A couple of minutes in, I was like dang it, I got an eyelash in my eye,” Kiemaier told reporters. “There was an eyelash in there and then we rinsed my eye, and then it disappeared or kind of went into one of these crevices or whatever. Once that happened, everything took a turn for the worse.” Kiermaier said.

“Just one of those weird things” Kiermaier stated. “It seems like this stuff could only happen to me. Got to get through it and roll with the punches I’ll be fine. I assume I’ll be 100% whenever my eye chooses to cooperate.” This is not the first time Kiermaier has suffered an odd injury. His past history includes a hand injury from a slide and an injured wrist during a falling catch.

“Wasn’t happy or proud about (coming out) at all,” Kiermaier added. “These things happen, unfortunately… After being on the (injured list) a couple of times already, this is the last thing I want to deal with. I’ll be fine. But definitely didn’t want to miss any other time other than what I have already, especially with the fluky thing like this,”

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash revealed that the organization did not plan to start him in Sunday’s game, but he was an option if needed.

Kiermaier also reported that he was still feeling “a little bit of a scratch or irritation, whatever we’ve got going on in there” but that his condition had improved slightly.