Friday, July 18

HOUSTON -- This time a year ago, Theo Gillen had just graduated from Westlake High School in Austin. He was more than a month away from being selected 18th overall by the Rays in the 2024 Draft. He was used to playing two games a week, maybe three, in front of friends, family, classmates and scouts.

A lot has changed for Gillen over the last year, but he doesn’t seem to be fazed by any of it.

“It's so much more, going from two or three games a week to now, every night, you're getting ready to play in front of a good crowd,” Gillen said in a phone interview. “It's so much fun. It's new. Managing your body, making sure you're doing the right things, eating the right things -- that's definitely the hardest and the newest part.”

Gillen got a glimpse of professional baseball last year, playing eight games for Single-A Charleston. After being delayed by a calf injury this spring, the 19-year-old outfielder -- the Rays’ No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and No. 85 overall -- is off to an excellent start in his first full season for Charleston.

Just named the Carolina League Player of the Week, Gillen entered Thursday slashing .282/.436/.500 in 103 plate appearances over his first 23 games. He’s hit four homers, a triple and three doubles. Mostly batting atop the order, he’s scored 21 runs and driven in nine.

“He's been a true pro since being here. Getting a little taste of Charleston last year, of what full-season ball is and kind of taking a step forward this year, and the way he prepares and that kind of thing -- it really stands out for a young player to have that kind of mentality,” Charleston manager Sean Smedley said. “And then just his performance on the field, man, he can really do it all.”

That includes playing center field (and occasionally right) at what the Rays consider a high level despite being an infielder in high school. The club drafted him as an outfielder, believing his speed and instincts would play in center after shoulder surgery in high school affected his throwing arm.

Smedley said Gillen’s jumps and routes have continued to improve, and he’s taken well to the leadership role that comes with playing center. Gillen said he’s learned from his coaches and teammates, counting on them to help him with communication and positioning, and he’s committed to the RiverDogs’ daily pregame work to improve.

He’s also benefiting from his offseason training routine at home in Austin, where he said he focused on “being quicker” and “being elastic.” Team officials have seen that work pay off, noting Gillen’s greater athleticism and explosiveness in all aspects of his game. It’s even shown on the bases, as he has stolen 12 without being caught.

“It's definitely a different type of athleticism,” Smedley said. “Last year, it looked a little stiff, a little rigid. That comes with being young and kind of getting your feet wet, but this year, the athleticism has really taken off. It's fun to watch. He's moving like a center fielder.”

And his hitting has been pretty much as advertised, as he was regarded as the best high school hitter in last year’s Draft class. As impressive as any of his other surface-level numbers, considering his limited professional experience, is the fact that he’s recorded nearly as many walks (20) as strikeouts (25).

Smedley praised Gillen for his “really professional approach,” noting that he swings at pitches in the strike zone that he’s capable of driving without selling out for power or chasing much. It’s been an adjustment, Gillen admitted, because he’s facing better pitchers with nastier stuff than he saw in high school -- and he’s seeing them every night.

“Compete every pitch -- that's kind of my thing,” Gillen said. “Like, I could strike out five times in a row, but as long as I had competitive, quality at-bats all those at-bats, I'm walking back to the dugout satisfied and knowing that I put my best foot forward and competed.”

It’s a pretty mature mindset, especially for someone who was fresh off his high school graduation this time last year.

“You think back and you're like, 'God, I feel like it was just yesterday.' But at the same time, you feel like you've grown so much as a person since then,” he said. “You've learned so much about just managing yourself, living on your own, managing your body, professional baseball and everything. It's been a really fun journey, and I'm really excited to see what the future holds.”

• The Rays ended their “first trimester” with a 7-2 homestand and reason for optimism. Read more>>

• The Rays lineup showed what it’s capable of in a blowout win Thursday night. Read more>>

• Veteran starter Kyle Gibson joined Tampa Bay on a Minor League deal. Read more>>

• A backup catcher change: Matt Thaiss in, Ben Rortvedt out. Read more>>

• Jonny DeLuca is looking for clarity after another setback. Read more>>

Drew Rasmussen has pitched six scoreless innings in each of his last three outings, running his scoreless streak to 18 consecutive innings and lowering his ERA to 2.33 after 11 starts. 

With his latest gem on Wednesday afternoon, Rasmussen became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to make three straight scoreless starts of six innings or more. (Ryan Yarbrough did it in three straight starts in 2019, but with several bulk-inning outings mixed in between.) Here are the others:

• Taj Bradley: July 12-25, 2024

• Jake Odorizzi: July 22-Aug. 3, 2016

• Alex Cobb: April 6-May 22, 2014 (separated by an injured list stint)

The Rays will host two postgame drone shows at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the club announced. One will take place after their June 17 game against the Orioles, depicting “iconic moments in Rays history in the night sky,” and the other is scheduled for Sept. 19 against the Red Sox to “showcase and honor Rays fans.”

Additionally, the Rays announced a “Summer 3-Pack,” including tickets to any three home games in June and July (plus one parking pass) for $99. They also launched “Kids Cheer Free Weekend” for their upcoming series against the Marlins from June 6-8. Parents who buy a ticket can add up to two free tickets for children 14 years old and under.

The Rays’ full promotion schedule is available at RaysBaseball.com/Promotions.

To subscribe to Rays Beat, visit this page and mark "Rays Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Rays or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.