3 Burning Questions Facing the Tampa Bay Rays Midway Through Spring Training

An outfield full of question marks, a roster crunch in the infield and the potential of another ace emerging have stand out as storylines for the Tampa Bay Rays with Opening Day one month out.

Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca (21) looks on before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

BRADENTON, Fla. — The AL East is looking like it could be one of the toughest divisions in baseball, putting the Tampa Bay Rays in a tough spot entering 2025.

The Rays are fresh off their first missed postseason berth since 2018, so it isn't as if the team can just sit idly by. A few holes were filled over the winter, but plenty is still up in the air two weeks after pitchers and catchers reported to camp.

Reporting live from spring training down in Florida, Fastball staff writer Sam Connon broke down the three biggest questions hanging over the Rays midway through camp.

How will the outfield shake out?

In the early goings of the 2024 season, the Rays had Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri, Amed Rosario and Harold Ramírez baked into their outfield rotation.

All four of those veterans are now playing elsewhere.

The Rays actively chose to move off of all of them, too, so management seems to have faith that their new crop of outfielders can make it work in 2025.

Christopher Morel – who played mostly third base, second base and center field with the Chicago Cubs – has been slotted in as Tampa Bay's starting left fielder. Jonny DeLuca has just 131 career MLB appearances under his belt, and he is expected to be an everyday center fielder.

Eloy Jiménez is technically an outfielder, but even if the non-roster invite is added to the big league roster, he should spend most of his time at designated hitter.

Right fielder Josh Lowe seems like the steady presence amid all the turnover, but even he saw his batting average and OPS drop from .292 and .835 in 2023 to .241 and .693 in 2024.

Having super utility men José Caballero and Richie Palacios available to chip in will give manager Kevin Cash flexibility, which should prove valuable. At the same time, though, neither has proven to boast a particularly dangerous bat.

The Rays have a handful of options in the outfield, but few that are sure-fire hits. Both at the plate and in the field, there is plenty of work left to do there before Opening Day arrives.

Will another ace emerge alongside Shane McClanahan?

Shane McClanahan's return from Tommy John surgery could make or break the Rays' season, since he has proven to be a Cy Young contender when healthy.

With the lefty coming into camp at full strength, though, the focus has started to shift to the club's other starters.

Ryan Pepiot looked solid Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, tossing 2.0 innings of one-run ball in his spring training debut. Taj Bradley lasted 2.1 innings on Tuesday without allowing any damage.

Shane Baz, Zack Littell and Drew Rasmussen have all yet to take the mound in Grapefruit League play.

Baz and Rasmussen remain question marks working their ways back from injuries of their own, while Littell has established himself as a reliable veteran. Pepiot and Bradley, on the other hand, are well-positioned to the the next step.

Pepiot, 27, and Bradley, 23, combined for a 3.86 ERA, 1.190 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.7 WAR across 51 starts in 2024. They ranked second and third on the team with 138.0 and 130.0 innings, respectively.

Having one ace in McClanahan is nice. Having another – whoever they may be – could vault Tampa Bay into the next tier of contention this season.

Who will be the odd infielder out?

Not even including the top prospects who earned non-roster invites to camp, the Rays are flush with infielders.

As former All-Stars with eight-figure salaries, first baseman Yandy Díaz and second baseman Brandon Lowe have pretty firm holds on their jobs. Then there's high-profile free agent addition Ha-Seong Kim, who can play second, short and third at a Gold Glove level once he returns from shoulder surgery in May.

Former top prospect Junior Caminero is expected to slot in at third, while Taylor Walls is in line to start at shortstop. Second/third baseman Curtis Mead and first/second baseman Jonathan Aranda are on the roster as well, in addition to Palacios and Caballero.

Given their versatility, Cash will likely want Palacios and Caballero in the big leagues. And if Jiménez does make the roster out of camp as a part-time designated hitter, one of Caminero, Walls, Mead or Aranda will have to start the season in the minors.

Once Kim gets back to full strength, that will result in another one of those names getting bumped out of the picture.

When shortstop Carson Williams, third baseman Brayden Taylor and first basemen Xavier Isaac and Tre' Morgan are deemed MLB ready, things will only get more complicated.

Related MLB Stories

• TAYLOR, SEYMOUR SHOW POP: The Rays may not have completed the comeback against the Pirates on Friday, but top prospects Brayden Taylor and Bob Seymour impressed in the clutch. CLICK HERE

• PEPIOT MAKES SPRING DEBUT: Now firmly established as a reliable member of the Rays' rotation, Ryan Pepiot is being treated like one in spring training. CLICK HERE

• WESTBROOK BREAKS OUT: A few days after joining the Rays, longtime minor league utility man Jamie Westbrook notched two hits and made some solid plays at second base. CLICK HERE

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