Richard

Palacios

Palacios had just 48 plate appearances with the Rays in 2025, slashing .333/.396/.452 with one home run and four steals. He also played in 24 games in the minors as he battled injuries. There’s a chance that he could earn a starting job in Tampa Bay in 2026.

Tristan Gray replaced him, with Richie Palacios moving from second base to the outfield. Pereira, who has been hoping to work his way into the Rays’ plans for 2026, is hitting .138/.219/.246 with 28 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances.

It’s unusual these days to not see Simpson’s name atop the Rays’ lineup, but he’ll get a well-deserved breather in this one. Richie Palacios will start in his place in left field and will bat leadoff against Gavin Williams and the Guardians on Friday night in Tampa Bay.

Palacios has played in just one major league game this season after missing the start of the year with a fractured finger and the bulk of the remainder with knee issues. He should get quite a few starts against right-handers and maybe offer some value in AL-only leagues. Bob Seymour and Everson Pereira could lose at-bats to him.

Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) is with the same team rehabbing and has also yet to start hitting. It’ll be interesting to see how the Rays handle their returns, since they really have just one spot (currently occupied by Coco Montes) open right now. Both have option years remaining and could be sent down, though the Rays might be willing to give Palacios a shot at Jake Mangum’s expense if he starts producing.

Palacios has only played one game this season and has been on the injured list since April 18, so this doesn’t change his timeline at all. The Rays needed a space on the 40-man roster for newly acquired reliever Bryan Baker.

Palacios has played just one game this year with a broken finger and a right knee sprain. He will likely need a long time on his rehab assignment and could return to a bench role in Tampa Bay by late June or early July.

Palacios had just been taken off the injured list with a fractured finger, and his first game back saw him suffer the knee sprain. The Rays are unsure if Palacios will need to have surgery with manager Kevin Cash saying the team is still “gathering” information, so 4-6 weeks appears to be the minimum stint for the outfielder.

Palacios returned from the injured list on Thursday and apparently injured himself during his first game of the season and will head back to the injured list. No word yet on how long he’ll be shelved for. The Rays have promoted Chandler Simpson from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.

Simpson is one of the fastest players in the sport, and it appears he’s going to get a chance to show off those wheels beginning Friday against the Yankees. The 24-year-old stole 104 bags in 2024, and he’s swiped eight of them already over his first 17 games in Triple-A Durham. There’s very little power in Simpson’s bat, but those who need help in the steals category should give him a look. Richie Palacios will be heading to the injured list to make room for Simpson.