Jake

Mangum

DeLuca has been playing great baseball to start 2025, going 10-for-23 with four steals while providing strong defense in center field. The logical replacement for him would be Chandler Simpson, but it seems that the Rays don’t want to start the clock on his service time, and DeLuca may not be out for that long. Coco Montes will be called up from Triple-A, which means both Kameron Misner and Jake Mangum should get plenty of starts in the immediate future.

The 29-year-old outfielder had started and hit in the middle of the Rays’ lineup in each of the team’s last four ballgames. Christopher Morel will start in his place in left field and bat fifth for the Rays against Rangers’ right-hander Tyler Mahle on Friday.

Caballero played two innings in the outfield for the Mariners in 2023 but has no other MLB innings in the outfield before this year. With Ha-Seong Kim inching closer to a return, the ability for Caballero to move to the outfield would be huge for his ability to get into the lineup, especially with Josh Lowe (oblique) out for months. Kameron Misner will get the day off with Jake Mangum remaining in the lineup in left field.

Mangum kicked off the scoring with a two-run double down the left-field line against Pirates prospect Thomas Harrington in the opening frame. The relatively unknown 29-year-old rookie is getting an everyday opportunity for the Rays with Josh Lowe (oblique) on the injured list and is certainly making the most of it, hitting .636 (7-for-11) with four RBI and three steals in three contests. He won’t sustain this level of production long-term, but he’s at least put himself onto fantasy manager’s radar screens as a speculative pickup in deeper mixed leagues.

Mangum picked up his first major-league hit and stolen base in the second inning before extending Tampa Bay’s early lead with a two-run single in the fourth inning. He also drilled a ground-rule double and came around to score on José Caballero’s extra-base knock in the sixth inning. The unheralded switch-hitting outfielder capped off a four-hit performance, which included a pair of hits from both sides of the plate, with an eighth-inning single. It was certainly a memorable night for Mangum, who figures to continue getting opportunities with Josh Lowe (oblique) facing an extended absence. He’s at least worthy of a speculative flyer in extremely deep mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

Mangum gets the call to help fill the void on Tampa Bays’ active roster created by Josh Lowe’s oblique strain. The 29-year-old outfielder was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and has yet to reach the majors. He .317/.358/.442 with six homers and 20 steals last year across 104 games at the Triple-A level.

Lowe told reporters Saturday that he’s been diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain, which is more severe than the one he suffered last March that kept him sidelined for over two months. There isn’t an exact return timetable yet, but fantasy managers should anticipate the 27-year-old missing up to eight weeks, which would put him out until late May. It’ll be some combination of Kameron Misner, José Caballero and Jake Mangum filling the void in right field during his absence.

Simpson is the headliner here for fantasy purposes since his top-of-the-scale speed gives him immediate mixed-league relevance once the Rays opt to give him a shot in the big leagues following a surreal 104-steal campaign last year between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery. Williams is universally regarded as the organization’s top prospect and offers some serious power-speed combo potential. He’s a phenomenal defender, which will keep his bat in Tampa Bay’s lineup, but there are some serious contact concerns, which he may never solve and limit his ceiling.

Mangum is 12-for-26 this spring. It was a surprise to see him added to the Rays’ 40-man after last season, given that he’s never seen major league action and is playing this year at 29. Still, he’s been a steady minor league bat, and he offers both speed and quality defense in the outfield. It’s not enough to make him a fit for the Opening Day roster, but he’ll probably debut sometime this season.

Tuesday is the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster or risk losing them to the Rule 5 draft, and the Rays won’t take the chance. Mangum performed well in his first year in the Tampa Bay system with an .800 OPS, 20 stolen bases and .317 average with Durham in 2024 over 104 games.