The Rays fielded an outfielder Johnny DeLuca in the list of ten days injured that affected the right hamstring yesterday. He will miss more than ten days, however. Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, DeLuca’s form is important enough that he will miss about six to eight weeks.
DeLuca, 27, has been in Tampa’s stadium for a year. His contributions have mainly been as a speed and defense guy. His .269/.298/.412 batting line isn’t bad, which translates to a 98 wRC+ that puts him just below league average. However, he only has two home runs and a 4% walk rate. His offense was boosted by a fortunate .330 batting average on balls in play.
While he may not be a hit in the box overall, he has been a useful player in other ways. He’s been better with the platoon advantage, as the righty swinger has a .315/.500/.815 line and a 126 wRC+ against southpaws. He is one of the fastest guys in the league, with Statcast ranking his fastball in the 95th percentile of professional big leaguers. He stole six bases and was credited with three Defensive Runs Saved and three Outs Above Average on the year.
The Rays will now have to move on without DeLuca’s contributions in July. So far, the team has used only five players this year, which will play today. Without DeLuca, they have become Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Jake Fraley again Ryan Vilade in mixing. Last week, it was reported that Fraley will need a hernia procedure and will have a six to eight week return timeline.
It will be interesting to track how the team does in the next little while, as DeLuca and Fraley’s suspensions will keep them out until closer to the Aug. 3 deadline. Simpson is a more extreme version of DeLuca, with great speed and strong defense but a poor offense. Mullins has a good record but a bad season, and Vilade is in the opposite position. Mullins is hitting just .192/.255/.285 on the year, albeit with an unfortunate .218 BABIP. Vilade has a solid .308/.382/.477 line on the year but a lucky .346 BABIP. Victor Mesa Jr.with a .188/.297/.344 batting line, was reinstated to join the club when DeLuca hit IL yesterday.
The Rays are currently the leading team in the majors with a 34-16 record. They racked up those wins despite a lack of outfield. There are good outfielders and outfielders have more stolen bases than any other team outside of the majors, but the Rays have amassed a collective .254/.302/.357 line from the outfield this year. That leads to an 85 wRC+ that is better than the other five clubs.
Given their strong track record, the Rays will likely be in a position to buy at the deadline. The outfield would be a clear area to improve, given the numbers so far. Since the club will be discussing deals with other teams in July, Fraley and DeLuca should be healthy. If the Rays make outfield additions, Fraley, Mullins and Vilade cannot be selected in the minors but DeLuca, Mesa and Simpson can be selected.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
