Going to be introducing some new series’ this weekend—so be sure to check back with TampaBayRaysFan.com to see the latest news from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Also, if you were subscribing to our RSS feed before, you have probably noticed that you are not getting updates. We made some changes to our feed to make it better for our readers, but unfortunately we had to change the feed address. You can now subscribe by visiting this link. If you don’t know what RSS is, check out what Nate Cheeley has to say about it.
Quest for fifth starter spot wide open
Though I don’t think it should be. Latest news out of the Tampa Bay Rays camp is that Andy Sonnanstine may still have a chance to win the fifth spot in the rotation. The thought coming into spring training was that Wade Davis had the spot, and it was his to lose. Both pitchers have been stellar so far this spring, so the talk as of late is that Sonnanstine may have a chance to crack the 25 man opening day roster. Both players have minor league options left. I personally hope to see Davis in this spot. I feel last year he looked overpowering at times, and believe he could end up being a top of the rotation talent in the very near future.
Read more about the race for the fifth spot here.
Howell & Soriano make spring debut
It is about time! Rafael Soriano has been on his own training regiment this spring–per the coaching staff of the Rays. I don’t agree with this decision for a couple reasons, and you can read about them here.
J.P. Howell also is making his first appearance of the spring today, and that, I am okay with. He is a proven veteran leader on this team, and is totally reworking his approach to pitching this season by going back to what he does best–working the 6th, 7th and 8th innings instead of closing out games.
Fernando Perez amongst the Tampa Bay Rays sent to the minors
No surprises here really about the names on this list. Catchers Jose Lobaton and John Jaso and perennial underachieving outfielder Fernando Perez were all optioned to the minors. Perez has been on the cusp of breaking through to the majors each of the last three seasons, but strong springs from Matt Joyce, Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac have made him the odd man out AGAIN.
Perez was featured in a post earlier this week, poking fun at major league baseballs minimum salary. This was an amazing video. Check it out too.
Thomas Gemkow is the editor-in-chief of TampaBayRaysFan.com. Founded in January of 2009, TampaBayRaysFan.com is a compilation of all the best of the Rays, from across the web. The website can be followed on Twitter
