Follow Liz on Twitter
With the spring training coming to a close and the 2016 season a few days away, the Rays were bound to make some moves. The roster is stacked with talent but it only has room for 25 players. Today, shortly after the the win over the Boston Red Sox some of the anticipated moves were made.
First to be released was catcher Rene Rivera. Coming into Spring training the Rays had four catchers on the roster; Rene Rivera, Curt Casali, Hank Conger (that was acquired from the Astros), and Luke Maile. There was minor speculation that that Rays would go into Opening Day with three catchers on the roster although it was unlikely. The release of Rivera today confirmed that unlikelihood.
The second big move coming out of the Rays clubhouse is that first baseman James Loney and the team had come to a mutual agreement that today would be his last day with the team. Loney had been seen as a potential target for a trade even before the season started. The off season pick up of Logan Morrison and veteran Steve Pearce was the precursor the end of Loney’s time with the Rays and it was confirmed today.
In addition to the moves with Rivera and Loney, Richie Shaffer and Matt Andriese were optioned to Durham.
Is this the end of the changes the Rays will make before the season officially begins? Not likely. The next plausible target for cuts is the the outfield since currently the Rays have a surplus. Stay tuned to the Scrum Sports for all the updates.
