Rays outfielder Suffers Right Hand Fracture

During today’s game in the Dominican Republic as part of the Dominican Republic Series, Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca was hit by a pitch and diagnosed with a broken right hand following an x-ray at a local hospital, as reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Although DeLuca is expected to undergo further evaluation upon the team’s return to Florida, the standard recovery time for such an injury is estimated to be “at least” 4-6 weeks.

This injury comes as a significant setback for the Rays, who had plans to utilize DeLuca as a right-handed option in the outfield and designated hitter mix alongside Jonathan Aranda and Josh Lowe for the upcoming regular season.

Acquired from the Dodgers in December as part of the Tyler Glasnow trade, DeLuca had limited Major League experience with the Dodgers last summer but was anticipated to play a more prominent role with the Rays this season, especially with the departures of Luke Raley and Manuel Margot during the winter. However, DeLuca’s absence is likely to extend into the initial weeks of the regular season, disrupting the team’s plans.

With DeLuca sidelined, the Rays may reconsider moving Harold Ramirez, a right-handed slugger whose name surfaced in trade discussions but remains with the team. Ramirez could provide valuable depth in the outfield rotation alongside the starting trio of Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri, and Josh Lowe.

Additionally, Ramirez’s strong performance against left-handed pitchers last season could make him a suitable option at designated hitter alongside Aranda, who has struggled against southpaws in limited big league play.

While DeLuca was a strong contender for a bench role, his injury may prompt the Rays to consider alternatives such as infielders Curtis Mead or Osleivis Basabe to balance the right-handed batting options. Alternatively, the team could opt for left-handed outfielders like Richie Palacios or Greg Jones to bolster the outfield mix, as both players offer positional flexibility and offensive capabilities that could enhance the team’s depth and versatility off the bench.