3:55pm: Thompson had been on the minor league injured list with a minor elbow issue, tweets MLBTR’s Steve Adams, but was given a clean bill of health after a recent MRI was reviewed by team doctors and a third-party doctor. He threw a bullpen session this morning.
12:50pm: After placing right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly on the 15-day injured list with an ankle sprain, the Rays have selected Hector Perez from Triple-A Durham to take his place in the bullpen, as first reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In a corresponding move, the team has designated Ryan Thompson for assignment to make room for Perez on the 40-man roster.
Kelly was drafted by the Guardians in 2019, and the Rockies picked him up in the Rule 5 draft this past December. Colorado flipped him to Tampa Bay the same day. He has performed well for the Rays this season, pitching to a 3.48 ERA and 3.89 SIERA in 48 games out of the bullpen, although he has shown signs of tiring since the All-Star break. The rookie is already nearing his career-high in innings pitched. It is unclear how severe Kelly’s ankle injury is, but he will not be eligible to return until August 31.
Perez made his MLB debut for the Blue Jays in 2020, pitching in a single game. He has not pitched in a major league game since; he had his contract selected by the Rays earlier this season but was DFA’d without appearing in a game. He came to Tampa Bay this winter in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. In 53 innings at Triple-A, he has a 4.08 ERA. His 30% strikeout rate is impressive, but his 13% walk rate is a cause for concern.
Thompson also came to the Rays organization in the minor league portion of a Rule 5 draft, back in 2018. He was a solid bullpen piece from 2020-22, appearing in 108 games with a 3.50 ERA and 3.42 SIERA. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been nearly as effective in 2023. He has bounced back and forth between the Rays and Durham Bulls, and while his 3.26 ERA and 30.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A are impressive, his 6.11 ERA in 17 2/3 major league innings is not.
Thompson has been on the minor league injured list since August 6, so he cannot be placed on outright waivers. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Rays will have to put him on release waivers in the coming days. He’s being paid a $1MM salary in 2023 and still has about $247K of that sum left on his deal. A new team would take on that money upon claiming him but would also gain an additional three years of club control over the right-hander.
The once 13-0 Rays are resorting to dumpster diving in mid August.
Tbh no one expected Wander Franco to be investigated for liking little girls and McClanahan has to have Tommy John surgery. Ya best player and best pitcher done…..
You do know that the reports say he was tricked right and that Wander is being blackmailed? I find it appalling that people are so ready to find him guilty without an investigation being complete.
Well said. “Innocent until proven guilty” is not a thing with some people…I have no idea, but hoping it is not true…for the accuser’s/victim’s sake.
Right, it’s a terrible situation all the way around. There is absolutely no winners in something like this. Either way I hope the honest truth comes out and justice is served.
I find it odd that people only find nuance in negativity. Yes, we are all aware that nothing has been proven yet regarding Wander. Are you not familiar with ‘public relations’ and ‘defamation’? It doesn’t matter what happens, his image is tarnished
Ahh yes, “the reports”…. No need to investigate any further. (Insert clown emoji here)
@carryabigstick
Ahh yes, so I’m a clown for suggesting there may be more to the story? It’s hilarious because in the same post I said “it’s appalling that people are so ready to find him guilty without an investigation being complete.” I literally just said there needed to be more investigation because there is more coming out about the issue. I would highly suggest you go back and read the conversation we just had because you clearly didn’t. Way to go buddy! Your attempt at being a dick is in vain and makes ZERO sense. (Insert clown emoji here)
Ahh profanity, the last resort of buffoons everywhere.
I never said he was guilty, I said he was being investigated which is the truth. I will never presume guilt, the facts are he isn’t playing because MLB is trying to figure out what happened. Being on the restricted list usually means a suspension is coming, like Trevor Bauer. If MLB thought there was nothing to this, he wouldn’t of been placed on the restricted list, however, they are doing their due diligence.
@brian
Who me? How is saying that someone is being a dick a “last resort”. Please explain your point ? Would it make you so much happier if I said the guy is being an arrogant jerk (which he/you was!) By the way, you didn’t have to hop on your burner account to address me littlestick.
@kingbum
If that’s true I apologize. It seemed like an assumption of guilt.
This and your other comments are aging poorly
@cptjack
I am seriously confused how any of these comments could “age poorly” when all me and a few others have said is that nothing had been proven and lets wait for an actual investigation before we label someone as a didler lol. I don’t know why it is so hard for you to get that through your skull and why your RIGHT to be Innocent until proven guilty is such a mind blowing phenomenon. You don’t know what has happened, I don’t know what has happened. Keep trying.
The latest information coming from the Tampa Bay Times says that a 17 year old girl had come forward and is now no longer cooperating with investigators in the Dominican Republic. It is very possible all of this is the scam that Franco claims it is. In a since deleted video posted by Franco from the Rays clubhouse Franco refutes the accusations and an off-camera voice (presumably Jose Siri as he is seen later in the video) says in Spanish “people always looking to get money”.
Franco could be guilty as sin but could also be innocent and a victim of bad circumstances/choices. Lets see how it plays out before basically calling him a child molester
@rsox
Thank you for having a capable adult brain and making a clear, concise point instead of reading one sentence, ignoring every other word, and hurling insults like littlestick over here.
I have another update for you: there are more victims. stay tuned
And? No one said he was innocent. We are just waiting for a fair investigation before we label someone as heinous as a diddler! There may be, but sadly it wouldn’t be the first time someone lied about something like that. Especially when their could be money involved.
I would refrain from making any statement seeming to side on one way or other on this issue. There’s nothing but yolk waiting to drizzle all over anyone that ends up commenting on the wrong side of what the enventual result will be whether it’s a scam or if Wander did commit the crime.
Just wait for news when there’s news that are finalized. It’s too much of a touchy issue both ways – scamming or crimes against minors. Both messed up, although the latter is the more heinous of the two.
13-0 is about 7% of a Major League season and doesn’t guarantee anything, although I do believe the Rays will make the playoffs.
You are right, they are 7 games up on Seattle and 8 up on Boston. Now Seattle a very easy schedule the remainder of the season. It is the 4th easiest schedule remaining in baseball with an opp winning pct of .477…..That means Seattle could very well go on a hot streak of 31-10 or something get 92 or 93 wins and if Tampa does struggle and play just 500 ball the rest the year and Toronto continues playing good…Tampa can find itself out. I left out the Red Sox because I think they are done, they have the 2nd toughest remaining schedule and it’s a opp winning pct of .535…..Without checking I am assuming they got a lot of games left with Baltimore and Tampa.
The 13 included 9 wins against Detroit, Washington and Oakland. Fake streak.
“Fake streak”..Last time I checked, all regular season games count in MLB. All the other teams in the AL East will play the same schedule. It’s only “fake” because Tampa is not your favorite team, right?
All the other contending teams play those teams also.
Not in a row, they don’t. The schedule maker is probably a Tampa native that thought they’d put all those cupcakes back to back to back to build an insurmountable lead but little did they know, Baltimore was having none of their shenanigans. Tampa will fail as usual and the idiots in Manfred‘s office will keep trying to give the Rays an advantage so they won’t relocate. All of the evidence is available and has been well documented. Only a matter of time until 60 Minutes gets involved.
“Not in a row they don’t”…I’m guessing your favorite team fell out of the race in May, right?..Well,Tampa is not my favorite team either, but if people think they’ll roll over and play dead, just because of Wander and another lost pitcher, they haven’t been watching the Rays the last 8-10 yrs, because they know how to win baseball games regardless of their on field situation.
Its not like I said at the beggining of the season or anything that the Rays rotation wasn’t that good. You had people on here calling me an idiot. “The Rays have the best rotation in baseball!, moron!”. Look at them now, they have to rely on Zach Eflin as their ace. I already knew a rotation of Rassmusen, Springs, Mclanahan, Eflin, Patino, Taj Bradly, and Yonny Chirinos wasn’t gonna win you anything. Thats like a joke of a rotation. Reminds me a lot of the Mets rotation. Now they have to resort to no name guys, pathetic on the GM for only going out and getting Civale who is maybe a #3 at best but is really a #4
Yeah, Springs Ras McClanahan Glasnow…those guys are not good. Eflin? Joke.
Imagine believing that. Not even bright enough to realize Glasnow is now the ace.
I guess they should have blown $80 million on two guys…who are not even on the team anymore lol. I do appreciate your posts, they always provide a laugh.
@Sideline Redwine if you appreciate my posts that much, you’d know that I never liked the Justin Verlander signing. 120 mil for a 40 year old 1 year removed from TJ surgery, pathetic. Scherzer was way overpaid too but atleast he was younger and didn’t have an injury history like JV. They opted to use Carrasco’s option, which was the worst decision of the offseason. He was one of the worst pitchers I’ve ever seen the past 2 years prior. Senga I liked even though hes overpaid too. Quintana I was not a fan of
@LFGMets (Metsin7) #FireBillyInEppler
How could you have dared to shatter anyone’s expectations of the Mets going undefeated after beating the Rays in the 2023 World Series. All the bashing you got seems to be deserved. 😀
McClanahan out till ’25 and Wander smells like Teen Spirit.
Rays gettin’ bedeviled daily.
Devil Rays gotta Devil Ray!
Didn’t Thompson do a live chat with MLBTR just before the season? Are we dealing with a new curse here?
TB walked over the Giants today like a playoff team. First time I’ve watched them all season. They looked cohesive.
Tampa is a very resilient team; they know how to win ballgames. They’re not gonna roll over and die, just because of Wander or yet another injured pitcher. Anyone who thinks they will, hasn’t been watching them the last 8-10 yrs.