Osleivis

Basabe

The Rays acquired RHP Alex Faedo in a trade on Monday and needed to make room on their 40-man roster, so they’ll let Basabe go. The 24-year-old was the ninth-ranked prospect in the Rays’ system last year and made his MLB debut in 2023, hitting .218/.277/.310 in 94 plate appearances. In 78 games at Triple-A in 2024, Basabe slashed .251/.309/.361 in 330 plate appearances with seven home runs and six steals. He’s looking like a below-average offensive player but is a strong defender at either shortstop or third base, so somebody may take a chance on him.

No real surprises from this group. The 23-year-old Basabe made his MLB debut last year but hit .218/.277/.310 in 31 games with one home run. He had been hitting .296/.351/.426 in Triple-A with four home runs and 16 steals, so there is still the potential for him to be a solid MLB player, but his profile suggests more real-life value than fantasy value.

It’s undoubtedly a positive sign to see Basabe back in Tampa Bay’s lineup just a few days after suffering an apparent head injury on a head-first slide into earlier this week during a spring training game. The 23-year-old prospect, who made his major-league debut late last season, figures to be in the mix for a bench job this spring.

Basabe face-planted on the dive and was obviously shaken up as a result, but he was able to walk off on his own after a few minutes. Hopefully, it won’t prove to be a significant injury. The 23-year-old Basabe finished out last year in the majors, but he’s a long shot to make the Rays out of spring training.

Walls is expected to resume baseball activities in February, so consider him questionable for the opener. Barring a stunning change in the Wander Franco investigation, Walls figured to be the favorite to open 2024 as the Rays’ shortstop, though he’d have Osleivis Basabe and perhaps Junior Caminero nipping at his heels. Walls has hit just .189/.289/.304 in 991 plate appearances as a major leaguer, but because he’s so fantastic defensively, he’s been a valuable player anyway.

The 23-year-old was pulled from Friday’s game after injuring his shoulder while diving for a ball in the infield. He’s considered day-to-day. Taylor Walls will start in his place on Saturday and will bat ninth against Hyun-Jin Ryu and the Jays.

The 23-year-old infielder suffered the injury while diving for a ball at third base. Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash noted that Basabe was a bit sore after the game and would head for additional evaluation. Expect the team to provide an update on his status prior to Saturday’s contest.

Lowe is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a right kneecap fracture earlier this week when he fouled a ball off his knee. The 29-year-old second baseman has a chance to make it back if the Rays wind up going deep into the postseason, but that looks like a long shot at this juncture. It’ll likely be Isaac Paredes handling the majority of the starts at the keystone with rookies Curtis Mead, Junior Caminero and Osleivis Basabe factoring into the mix.

Rays manager Kevin Cash confirmed to reporters Friday that Lowe will be sidelined for at least one month after fouling a ball off his right kneecap during Thursday’s contest against the Angels. The 29-year-old slugger’s absence likely means additional at-bats for rookies Curtis Mead, Junior Caminero and Osleivis Basabe. It’s also likely another prospect like Tristan Gray will get the call to the big leagues.

It appears to be a routine off day for Lowe, who has started 23 of Tampa Bay’s last 24 contests since August 23. It’ll be rookie Osleivis Basabe handling the keystone on Tuesday night.