The Tampa Bay Rays have spent most of the season looking like the team to catch in the American League, but that comfortable feel in the AL East is starting to slip a bit. They’re in the middle of a seven-game road trip, still chasing a playoff spot and the division title, yet the margin at the top is no longer as sturdy as it once was.
Tampa Bay split a series with the Texas Rangers over the holiday weekend, but the gap between the Rays and the rest of the pack has been getting trimmed. The same goes for their hold on the league’s best record, which has also started to narrow. For a club that many expected to land in last place in the AL East, it’s still been a stunning season - just not one that can afford much room for comfort now.
That’s where Aaron Judge comes back into the picture.
The Yankees are set to get their star slugger back after he missed a long stretch, and that changes the feel of this race immediately. New York has managed to stay afloat without one of the game’s top players, something that would have been hard to imagine in past seasons when Judge was sidelined and the offense tended to sag. This year, though, the Yankees have looked more resilient and have remained the second-best team in the AL even without him.
Now Judge’s return gives them a real shot to make things tighter.
Entering Tuesday, Tampa Bay leads New York by four games in the AL East, a cushion that can disappear fast if the Yankees start stacking wins. The schedule doesn’t exactly help the Rays here, either. They open the week against the Atlanta Braves, while New York gets the Colorado Rockies at home, a setup that gives the Yankees a chance to chip away right away.
The Rays have been the standard in the AL for most of the year. But with Judge back, the Yankees are about to make this division race a lot more interesting.
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Have A Shortstop Problem They Must Solve Fast
Taylor Walls landing on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 6 leaves the Rays with a sudden question at one of the sports most demanding positions, and they moved quickly to address it. Tampa Bay selected infielder Nick Madrigal from Triple-A Durham to fill the roster spot, turning to a player with major league experience who has spent most of his time at second and third base.
Madrigal is expected to help the Rays defensively while Walls recovers from a right hip flexor strain, but the larger issue is how long Tampa Bay will need to keep patching the middle infield. The club has survived plenty of shuffling this season, yet losing a regular shortstop even briefly can change the look of an infield in a hurry, and the next few days should reveal how comfortably the Rays can absorb it. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Farm Report Shows Which Prospects Are Forcing The Issue
The 22nd week of minor league action offered another snapshot of just how much talent is pushing through the Rays system, and the name at the top of the list is Theo Gillen. FanGraphs currently has Gillen as the organizations best prospect, with Caden Bodine also sitting near the top of the rankings, while Aidan Cremarosa remains the clubs leading pitching prospect even after missing time with injury. For a farm system built around depth and constant churn, those are the kinds of names that keep the pipeline looking healthy.
Elsewhere in the system, there were smaller signs of momentum worth watching. Ryan Cermak has put together a recent hitting streak, Austin Slater is back in the fold after re-signing, and Jadher Areinamo earned a move to Triple-A after coming back from injury. None of those developments carries the same headline value as the top-tier prospect chatter, but together they show a system with players at different stages all trying to force their way into the next conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Face A Different Braves Plan For One Key Young Bat
The Braves have given their batting order a fresh look for this series against the Rays, and it starts with Drake Baldwin in a very different spot. After opening games at the top of the lineup, Baldwin has been moved to cleanup, a role he has not held since July 11, as Atlanta tries to shake off a rough series against the Phillies and reset its attack.
Manager Walt Weiss also pushed Michael Harris II into the leadoff role, with Ronald Acua Jr. and Matt Olson batting in front of Baldwin. For Tampa Bay, the change matters because it alters the way the middle of Atlantas order can set the tone, turning one of the Braves younger bats into a run-producing focal point rather than an early table-setter. [Read more 🡒]