Duffy, Ramos, Miller all hope to return.
With a slew of names still waiting to make their 2017 debuts, the Rays look to June as the hope that a couple of them finally will. Catcher, Wilson Ramos, who had hoped to be getting at-bats by May, has been taking BP before games at the Trop this month. According to the latest injury update as of May 28, he’s slated to make his Rays debut sometime in mid-June. The decision as to who his back-up should be will be an interesting one. Derek Norris has gotten the bulk of the starts. Jesus Sucre, limited to just 19 games, has arguably been the most consistent at and behind the plate. Combined, however, the two of them have been one of the better duos in baseball offensively. Then there’s the production of Curt Casali down in Durham. Could he get a shot sooner than later this year?
Projected depth chart: Ramos won’t catch much right away. He’ll likely see more time at DH early on which means the Rays may wind up keeping Sucre and Norris. The odd-man out may be Peter Bourjos or Rickie Weeks Jr to make room on the 40-man roster.
Beckham has made a case.
Shortstop, Matt Duffy, has been getting rehab starts for Charlotte in May. He’s likely the first one to come off the DL of the bunch. Early June is what the latest reports are saying. This may be just as tough a decision for Kevin Cash as the catcher position. Tim Beckham has seemingly broken out offensively for the Rays with his extended playing time. Meanwhile, rookie Daniel Robertson, has been much better in the field playing three different positions in 34 games.
Projected depth chart: Doubtful the Rays give Duffy the bulk of the starts right away. For that reason, they’ll keep Beckham and probably send Robertson back down to get everyday playing time. They’re high on Robertson and he needs to get his bat going.
Will Brad bounce back?
The on-base machine that is Brad Miller could be activated when the Rays come back from the long road trip next week. Before going on the DL May 18, his on-base percentage was .350 and he’d walked 30 times in 39 games. He’s been good at second this year but his offense has taken a hit from his 2016 numbers.
Projected depth chart: If Weeks Jr is still on this team when Miller is ready, he’ll likely be DFA-ed. Miller can spell Logan Morrison at first which would also give more at-bats to Beckham at second when Duffy returns.
Pitchers Jumbo Diaz and Diego Moreno, both on the 10-day DL, do not have a timeframe to return as of yet.
