The Rays announced that they’ve designated right-hander Ian Gibaut for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to third baseman Matt Duffy, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Tampa Bay also placed corner infielder Yandy Diaz on the 10-day IL due to a foot injury.
Gibaut, 25, spent the first two months of the season on the minor league injured list but returned in early June and made his MLB debut earlier this month. In 12 1/3 innings in the minors this season, Gibaut allowed 10 runs (only four earned) on 12 hits and 11 walks with 17 strikeouts. He also yielded a pair of runs in his two-inning MLB debut.
That said, Gibaut pitched well enough in 2018 that the Rays protected him from the Rule 5 Draft by adding him to the 40-man roster in the offseason. Last year in Triple-A, Gibaut logged a 2.09 ERA with 12.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.48 HR/9 and an even 47 percent ground-ball rate. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Rays have already heard from clubs expressing interest in Gibaut, and they expect to be able to trade the righty.
It’s not yet clear how long Diaz will be sidelined. Topkin tweets that the slugger is on crutches at the moment with what the team has termed to be a bruise, but Diaz is still in a good amount of pain. The fact that there’s no break or structural damage in his foot is obviously encouraging, however. A speedy return would prove most beneficial for the Rays, as their under-the-radar acquisition of Diaz looks like one of the offseason’s best moves for the team. In 344 plate appearances, he’s hitting .270/.343/.480 with 14 homers, 20 doubles and a triple.
The 28-year-old Duffy will be making his season debut after missing nearly four months due to a hamstring injury. Acquired in the trade that sent Matt Moore to the Giants, Duffy’s Rays tenure has been punctuated by injury. It’s been nearly three years to the day since Duffy was traded, but he’s only been able to suit up for 153 games. He’s been productive in that time (.292/.354/.364) and is regarded as a strong defender on the left side of the infield, but his acquisition has yet to yield significant dividends — at least, not to the extent the organization had hoped.
it might be wiser to DFA Duffy and keep Gibault…
Amazing that shmucks like Pruitt and Roe, proven bad commodities stick around longer than unproven, hungry guys like gibaut and Sadler get left to waivers
The Rays clearly don’t know what they are doing and if they only scouted the stat line they would see!
Yeah. Absolutely clueless organization with no clear motives to their madness.
but some magic numbers say they should be good!
Blue Jays! Get on him
Yes. Young’ish reliever who’s performed pretty well at every minor league level. Go get.
okay Klentak, here’s another option to get.
That’s a little harsh there, Steve. Duffy was never going to be a superstar, but he’s a pretty decent player. And it was for Matt Moore, for heaven’s sake. At least Duffy hits a bit, doesn’t embarrass himself on the field or on the bases (unlike many Rays), and is professional in his approach.
They’ll probably get something for Gibault. They wouldn’t get anything for Pruitt (everybody has at least one Pruitt), and everybody accepts the fact that Roe has compromising pictures of Stuie with Stormy Daniels.
Can’t remember the last time the rays cut a player and he turned out to be useful besides yates
Dodgers are fairly please with Schultz’s and Sadler’s production (albiet in limited opportunity) this year.
how about Corey Dickerson or CJ Cron just to name a.
how about Corey Dickerson or CJ Cron just to name a couple.
Meadows is just as good as Dickerson with more team control, Cron I felt the Rays should have kept around for another year but he wasnt getting much playing time at the end of last season. Other than that the Rays in my mind needed to see what they have in their younger relievers and they now have a better idea. They have enough prospects to use in a few trades to bolster the lineup & still leave their top shelf ones in the system. A #10 to #20 prospect in the Rays system is a lot higher than in over half of the other teams system. I would prefer a Hunter Pence hitter acquisition & focus then on adding 1 or 2 relievers. Duffy is a good defender & a very good contact hitter to help bring guys home that are on 2nd or 3rd base.
Wish I shared your optimism. This team isn’t going anywhere this year–was hoping for a wc, but compared to the other teams in that race it will be difficult (especially with the *quality* of coaching we have). Hold on to the youngsters, let’s see what 2020 and 2021 bring…the future is bright.
Rays have had a few players that have not gotten off to good starts. There are pieces in place & the team just needs to solidify the pen for this year & going forward. Hitters that are available there is not that many & I would prefer a H. Pence at this juncture over a Castellanos if you are acquiring a bat.
I have not yet given up for this season in terms of a WC berth but yes the Rays need to hold on to their top shelf prospects.
He is NOT an rbi guy! In about 130 games last year, hitting 2nd most of the time, he hit .294 but only hit 4 homers and only 44 rbis! NOT a guy to “bring guys home who are on 2nd or 3rd base!
I am a huge fan of Yandy, but his numbers are not nearly what they could be. I realize the mods eschew RBI’s and such stats, but his low production in this area–when often batting in the middle of the lineup–has hurt considerably. He hits the ball extremely hard, and I love his attitude. But he hasn’t been *that* good. Then again, none of the Rays seem to know how to hit with men on base anymore. (Sell)
nationals gobble him up. bullpen black hole