Week 12 of the Tampa Bay Rays’ minor league season brought another shuffle at the top of the system, with Caden Bodine reclaiming the No. 1 spot on FanGraphs’ board. Bodine’s full-season line sits below, but the bigger immediate news is that he has already moved up to Double-A Montgomery.
On the mound, Aidan Cremarosa keeps standing out as the organization’s best-performing pitcher. The 22-year-old has handled his first season in the Rays system well after being taken in the 2025 eighth round, and he’s done it at Single-A with a 2.68 ERA and 2.69 FIP across 57 innings. He’s also piled up a 32.1 K% against a 4.6 BB%.
There were a few notable developments around the system this week. Ty Johnson earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors after his June 28 start, when he spun five no-hit innings, struck out nine and issued just one walk. Baseball America also slotted Johnson 12th on its weekly Hot Sheet, though the outlet still sees his long-term future in the bullpen.
The Rays added some veteran depth as well, signing outfielder Jake Cave and infielder Nick Madrigal to minor league deals. Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley are set to begin rehab assignments, while Tre’ Morgan has landed back on the injured list.
Around the prospect world, FanGraphs released its top 62 Rays prospects, MLB Pipeline updated its top 100 with Theo Gillen at No. 10, and Baseball America is scheduled to refresh its top 30 rankings on Wednesday.
At the team level, the active big-league roster still doesn’t feature any of Tampa Bay’s top 10 prospects. In Durham, Blake Sabol leads the Bulls in batting average and slugging, while Carson Williams tops the club in on-base percentage and wRC+. Homer Bush Jr. is the team’s stolen-base leader, and Sabol and Tatem Levins are tied for the home run lead with nine apiece.
Montgomery’s offense has been fueled by Austin Overn, even though he’s on the injured list dating back to May 27. Overn leads the Biscuits in batting average, slugging, wRC+, and stolen bases. Xavier Isaac sits atop the club in on-base percentage and home runs.
Bowling Green has gotten strong production from a few different spots, with Adrian Santana leading the team in batting average, Tony Santa Maria pacing the club in on-base percentage, wRC+ and steals, and Connor Hujsak driving the slugging and home run categories.
Charleston’s offense has run through Taitn Gray. He leads the RiverDogs in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and wRC+, while sharing the home run lead with Cooper Flemming. Alberth Palma has been the team’s top base-stealer.
On the pitching side for Charleston, Cremarosa leads the way in ERA, FIP, WHIP, opponent average, and whiff rate. Mason Nichols owns the best strikeout rate on the staff, while Aidan Haugh leads in walk rate.
Among the Rays’ top prospects in Charleston, Cooper Flemming is hitting .281/.361/.423 with 15.8 strikeout rate, 9.6 walk rate, six home runs, nine steals and a 115 wRC+ over 291 plate appearances. Daniel Pierce is at .252/.336/.390 with a 28.6 strikeout rate, 7.9 walk rate, four homers, six steals and a 101 wRC+ in 140 plate appearances. Pierce was placed on the seven-day injured list on April 22, activated on May 2, and hasn’t played since May 30.
In Other News...
Former Cub Christopher Morel Gets Another Shot After Tumultuous Exit
Christopher Morel is getting another chance to reset his career path after a rough stretch that included stops with the Cubs and Rays, two organizations that saw both his raw power and his inconsistency. The 27-year-old outfielder and infielder has now landed a minor-league opportunity as he looks to work his way back into big-league consideration, a familiar kind of move for a player whose talent has long kept him on the radar even when the results have not always matched.
The arrangement gives him some flexibility, too, with opt-outs built in if the path to the majors does not open quickly enough. For the Mets, it is a low-risk way to add depth while they sort through their roster ahead of the trade deadline, and for Morel it is another chance to force his way into a picture that could include several different spots if he hits enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Finally Have The Kind Of Injury Update Fans Needed
Yandy Daz was back in the Rays starting lineup, a welcome sight for a club that has spent plenty of time juggling its health. Daz had been working through a left shoulder strain, and getting him back on the field at all is a useful step for Tampa Bay, which has been trying to stabilize its everyday mix while key pieces work their way back.
Manuel Rodrguez also moved a step closer to a return by resuming live batting practice as he comes back from forearm and elbow surgery, with an expected timeline after the All-Star break. Elsewhere on the rehab front, Jake Fraley and Gavin Lux began assignments with Triple-A Durham, giving the Rays a little more movement on the injury front than theyve had in a while, even if the final stretch of each recovery still matters. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rays Reliever Makes Tough Admission About How His Career Ended
Ryan Sherriffs path through pro baseball took him from a long run in the majors with the Cardinals, Rays and Red Sox to the Mexican League and the Dominican Winter League, a late-career stretch that underscored just how far he was willing to keep going. For Tampa Bay fans, hes best remembered as part of the Rays 2020 World Series bullpen, when he gave them important left-handed innings on the biggest stage.
Sherriff recently opened up about how the end came into focus after years of trying to stay in the game. He also reflected on a spring training moment with Boston in 2023 when the organization sent him to minor league camp, a conversation that marked another difficult turn in a career that had already asked plenty of him. [Read more 🡒]