The Rays have spent most of their existence trying to solve catcher for the long haul. That search has rarely produced lasting answers, but the position looks a lot healthier now than it has in years.
At the big league level, Tampa Bay is set up with a tandem that gives it real stability behind the plate. Nick Fortes is now paired with deadline pickup Liam Hicks, a high-contact bat who rarely strikes out and is starting to unlock his power. Hicks also comes with team control for four years beyond 2026, which gives the Rays a catcher option they can lean on well into the future.
And if the major league duo holds things down for now, the pipeline is loaded behind them.
MLB Pipeline’s latest positional rankings put two Rays catchers on the list: Caden Bodine at No. 5 and Nathan Flewelling at No. 6.
Tampa Bay is one of only two organizations with multiple catchers in the top 10, joining the St. Louis Cardinals, who have Rainel Rodriguez at No. 1 and Leo Bernal at No.
Bodine and Flewelling are also both among the top 100 prospects overall, with Bodine coming in at No. 51 and Flewelling at No. 65. Bodine is currently at Double-A Montgomery, while Flewelling is at High-A Bowling Green, where both are getting the reps needed to keep moving forward.
Bodine arrived from the Baltimore Orioles in an offseason deal that also brought in outfielder Slater de Brun, right-handed pitcher Michael Forret and outfielder Austin Overn. Forret was later sent back to Baltimore before the deadline in the trade that landed right-handed reliever Tyler Wells.
What makes Bodine stand out is the polish. He’s drawn praise for the way he handles a game defensively, and while his arm isn’t his loudest tool, his quick release helps him keep runners in check.
The bat has taken off in 2026, too. Across Single-A Charleston, Bowling Green and Montgomery, Bodine has hit .341/.412/.505 with 13 home runs and 87 RBI.
Flewelling’s rise has been even faster than expected. The Rays have pushed him through the system aggressively, and he has answered at every stop.
He brings a strong eye at the plate and is already showing power, with 21 home runs at Bowling Green. At just 19 years old, he’s flashing the kind of upside that makes the Rays’ future at catcher look awfully bright.
In Other News...
Rays Built A Contender But One October Concern Still Looms
The Rays spent the trade deadline reinforcing a roster that already looked built for a run, adding depth with an eye toward the stretch drive and the injury concerns that always seem to linger in October baseball. Tampa Bay is still chasing the AL East and the valuable first-round bye that comes with it, so every healthy arm and every available bat matters as the schedule tightens and the pressure ramps up.
Freddy Peralta has been part of that late push, and his starts have shown progress as he settles in. Even so, the Rays know the bigger question is less about talent than availability, especially with Griffin Jax on the injured list and Victor Mesa Jr. also dealing with injuries. For a club trying to turn a strong regular season into something more, the final test may come down to whether the roster can stay intact long enough to matter when the calendar flips. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Farm System Just Sent A Loud Message After The Deadline
The Rays spent the deadline adding Freddy Peralta, Liam Hicks, Tyler Wells and Jack Suwinski, but the bigger organizational story is what happened to the talent pipeline they leaned on to make those moves. Even after shipping out multiple prospects, Tampa Bays farm system has surged from No. 10 in the 2026 preseason to No. 2 overall, trailing only the Dodgers, a reminder that this front office is still operating with one of the deepest development groups in baseball.
What makes the jump especially notable is that it has come from prospects pushing well past expectations rather than simply a stash of hyped names sitting in the background. Theo Gillen, Nathan Flewelling, Cooper Flemming, Caden Bodine and Grady Emerson have all helped fuel the rise, giving the Rays a fresh wave of inventory even as the deadline dealt away some of the old one. For a team that treats prospect capital like currency, the message was loud: the system remains strong enough to keep powering both present upgrades and future moves. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Need This Road Trip To Stop A Frustrating Slide At Trop
The Rays return to Tropicana Field has gone sideways in a hurry, and Mondays 5-1 loss to Toronto only deepened the concern. Tampa Bay had just finished a 9-0 road trip, but the mood at home has flipped quickly as the club has now stumbled through a frustrating stretch in front of its own fans, with the offense held in check and the pitching staff giving up too much damage on mistakes.
Manager Kevin Cash and players Ian Seymour and Cedric Mullins all acknowledged the importance of getting back on track before the next road swing takes over the schedule again. With the way the home games have gone, the Rays could use the coming trip to reset the tone, find some rhythm at the plate and keep this skid from becoming something more lingering than a rough patch. [Read more 🡒]