GameDay Preview: Harold Ramirez Returns For Rays vs. Yankees on Tuesday
NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays are anxiously awaiting the return of three of their best hitters from the injured list, and the first step happens on Tuesday night when Harold Ramirez returns to the lineup against the New York Yankees.
He is batting third in the designated hitter spot for the Rays. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET, and is also being televised nationally on TBS.
Ramirez has played 78 games for the Rays this year, and leads the team in hitting with a .329 average. He's 79-for-240, with four home runs and 35 RBIs. Ramirez, a 27-year-old Colombian native, fractured a bone in his thumb after getting hit by a pitch on July 17 in a game against the Baltimore Orioles.
He was back in the batting cages last week and took batting practice at Tropicana Field last Saturday. He went to Durham for a quick rehab assignment, and went 2-for-5 on Monday.
That thumb doesn’t seem to be bothering Harold Ramirez during BP 👀 pic.twitter.com/jnisuPrdV7
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) August 13, 2022
To make room for Ramirez, the Rays sent outfielder Luke Raley back to Durham. Raley has played in 22 games for Tampa Bay since being called up on June 24. He is hitting .197 with one home run and four RBI. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter was 12-for-61 at the plate during his stint.
The Rays are hoping that starters Manuel Margot and Wander Franco aren't far behind Ramirez. Both are in Durham now as well. Margot, who's hitting .302 and is second on the Rays in batting average behind Ramirez, suffered a right knee sprain on June 20 and it was feared he might have been lost for the season when he had to be carted off the field.
He's eligible to return off the injured list on Saturday.
Franco, who fractured the hamate bone in his right wrist on July 9, should be back within a week, too.
The Rays and Yankees play the second game of their three-game series tonight, with Jeffrey Springs (4-3, 2.56 ERA) pitching for Tampa Bay. Nestor Cortes (9-3, 2.67 ERA) will pitch for the Yankees.
Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday night's game:
How to watch Rays at Yankees
- Who: Tampa Bay Rays (61-53) at New York Yankees (72-44)
- When: 7:05 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Aug. 16
- Where: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.
- TV: Bally Sports Sun; TBS (national)
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
- Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (reporter).
- Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM, SiriusXM Channel 177 (Yankees broadcast)
- Latest line: The Yankees are favored at minus-172 on the money line in according to the Fanduel.com website line as of Wednesday morning. The Rays are plus-144. The over/under is 7.
Starting lineups
- TAMPA BAY RAYS: Yandy Diaz 3B, Isaac Paredes 1B, Harold Ramirez DH, Randy Arozarena RF, Christian Bethancourt C, Jose Siri CF, Taylor Walls SS, Yu Chang 2B, Jose Siri CF, Roman Quinn LF, Jeffrey Springs P.
- NEW YORK YANKEES: Gleyber Torres 2B, Aaron Judge CF, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Josh Donaldson 3B, Jose Trevino DH, Andrew Benintendi LF, Miguel Andujar DH, Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS, Marwin Gonzalez RF, Nestor Cortes P
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.