Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca was hit by a pitch in his proper hand in spring motion and his X-rays confirmed a fracture. The Rays have mentioned they’re going to additional consider him as soon as he is been cleared to return, however the typical timetable for a return from a damaged hand is 4 to 6 weeks, per the Tampa Bay Instances.Â
DeLuca, 25, was beforehand with the Dodgers group since he was drafted in 2019, however he got here to the Rays by the use of the Tyler Glasnow commerce in December together with pitcher Ryan Pepiot. DeLuca appeared in 24 video games for the Dodgers final season, hitting .262/.311/.429 (97 OPS+) with a double, two homers, six RBI, 5 runs and 0.3 WAR in 45 plate appearances.Â
Within the aftermath of the commerce, CBS Sports activities’ R.J. Anderson gave the Rays an “A” and mentioned the next about DeLuca:Â
Once more, you may suppose the Rays intend to unlock one thing, possibly tapping into uncooked energy or simply having Deluca pull the ball extra. It is not obvious that both tweak would add a lot. Deluca recorded only one batted ball final season, both within the majors or the minors, that cleared 110 mph. His big-league max, of 102.6 mph, would’ve ranked final — behind even Tony Kemp and Luis Arraez — had he certified. As for the opposite a part of the equation, he already pulled greater than 53% of his batted balls, a proportion that may have ranked fifth within the majors amongst qualifiers (forward of latest teammate Isaac Paredes, who has pulled the ball to nice impact regardless of so-so exit velocities).
We’re shut sufficient to the common season that it is a close to certainty DeLuca opens on the injured record. This may not have an effect on their possible Opening Day configuration of Randy Arozarena in left, Jose Siri in middle and Josh Lowe in proper, however depth is commonly the place the Rays win on the margins and this damage harms them on that entrance.
