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Can Desmond Jennings come out and play?

Desmond Jennings

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings reaches for a fly ball hit by Los Angeles Angels’ Torii Hunter on the warning track during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

AP

Since opening the season at .396/.431/.604 through April 18, Sam Fuld has hit .145/.232/.210 in 62 at-bats over this last 15 games. He’s 3-for-41 in his last 10 games.

And this is closer to what should have expected from Fuld. The 29-year-old was a career .278/.368/.400 hitter in 230 Triple-A games. No one ever thought of him as more than a fourth outfielder, and really, he’ll be fortuante to last four or five seasons as a reserve.

So maybe it’s time for the Rays to try Desmond Jennings, the top prospect many hoped they’d call up after Manny Ramirez retired. Jennings is hitting .273/.397/.414 in 99 at-bats in Triple-A. That he’s struck out 24 times already is worthy of concern. But Jennings is an excellent defensive outfielder, and he’s 8-for-8 stealing bases.

Since Jennings spent last September on the Rays roster accruing service time, the team would need to wait until July to call him up in order to guarantee that wouldn’t be a super-two arbitration-eligible player after 2013. That’s too long to go, though. Jennings should provide an immediate upgrade over Fuld once the Rays make the switch, and it might happen within the next few weeks.