Friday, July 24

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ST. PETERSBURG -- In the eighth inning of the Rays’ 12-6 loss to the Reds on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, Yandy Díaz reached down and across the plate and smacked a clean single to center field.

That hit put Díaz among elite company in Rays history.

It was the muscular designated hitter’s 911th hit in a Tampa Bay uniform. Only three players in the franchise’s 29-season history have more. Carl Crawford had 1,480. Evan Longoria had 1,471. Ben Zobrist had 1,016. Next on the list is Díaz, who broke a tie with B.J. Upton (910) on Tuesday before adding three more hits in Wednesday’s 6-1 victory over Cincinnati.

The accomplishment was not lost on Díaz.

“I'm very happy. I never would have thought I would have gotten to this many hits,” he said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “And obviously to be around those names is such a big deal. Just super happy overall that I'm being talked about in that regard.”

And yet, it almost seems like Díaz -- still one of baseball’s most underrated all-around hitters -- is not being talked about enough in that regard. Just think about where he ranks among the club’s best in his eighth season with the team.

Along with being fourth all-time in hits, he’s second in on-base percentage (.374), behind only Fred McGriff (.380). He’s just ahead of Longoria (.823) for the third-best OPS (.824) in Rays history (minimum 1,500 plate appearances), behind McGriff (.864) and Carlos Peña (.843). He’s fifth in doubles (174) and two shy of tying Crawford (104) for seventh in home runs (102). 

His 132 adjusted OPS+ is the best in Rays history. Longoria, Crawford, Zobrist and Kevin Kiermaier are the only position players to accumulate more Wins Above Replacement for Tampa Bay, according to Baseball-Reference, and he’s right behind David Price and James Shields on the franchise’s all-time WAR leaderboard.

In other words, we are watching one of the best players -- and without question one of the best hitters -- to wear a Rays uniform. Sometimes that can be hard to appreciate as it’s happening, but it’s impossible to ignore when he’s putting himself on a list with franchise icons like Crawford, Longoria and Zobrist.

“I never would have thought I would have gotten to this point, but obviously super grateful for it all,” he said. “When one day I call it a career, just being able to lay my head down when I go to sleep at night and be able to look at that number, it just makes me feel good.”

How long will Díaz be around to keep adding to those statistics? That’s hard to say. He’s making $12 million this season, and he has a $13 million vesting option for 2027 if he makes at least 500 plate appearances. (He’s already 21.6% of the way there.) If that option doesn’t vest, the Rays can exercise a $10 million club option for next year.

He’s already the longest-tenured player on the roster, having joined the team in December 2018. Unless you count reliever Cole Sulser returning to the Rays, Díaz is the last man standing from the ‘19 squad that got Tampa Bay back to the playoffs. He just saw longtime teammate Brandon Lowe, another mainstay of the last Rays era, in Pittsburgh … wearing a Pirates uniform.

The 34-year-old acknowledged in Spring Training that the thought of having to leave crossed his mind over the offseason, but he said he’s “extremely grateful for the organization and thankful to God to keep me here” for another season.

And after a slow start last year, he’s burst out of the gates in the Rays’ first 24 games. He entered the weekend batting .340/.426/.489 with three homers, 18 RBIs and 10 walks compared to only 14 strikeouts.

Incredibly, Díaz said Wednesday he doesn’t feel like he’s hit his stride at the plate yet, remarking he’s “in a weird middle ground right now” and “I feel like I can still do more.”

On the other hand, hitting coach Chad Mottola has been saying since Spring Training that Díaz looks as locked in as ever. Díaz said that’s a result of “trying to replicate a lot of the same things” he did en route to a batting title in 2023, and Mottola recently credited assistant hitting coach Ozzie Timmons for his part in that. 

While the Rays have spent the early parts of past seasons encouraging Díaz to experiment at the plate in hopes of reaching another level, Timmons’ familiarity with Díaz from his first stint on Tampa Bay’s coaching staff allowed them to focus on what’s always made him such a special hitter: the simple, powerful swing that’s produced 914 hits -- and counting -- in a Rays uniform.

“He’s always been the same, man,” Timmons said, smiling. “He’s a simple guy hitting.”

• In case you missed the last newsletter, this is the story of how Shane McClanahan found peace and friendship through a passion for fishing. Read more >>

• Nick Martinez gave the Rays eight innings and everything they needed against his former team. Read more >>

• The Rays’ time as the honorary sixth member of the National League Central is over. That’s good news. Read more >>

• Mason Englert is injured, Edwin Uceta’s return has been delayed, and Trevor Martin is now in the bullpen. Read more >>

The Rays expect to see a familiar face on the mound for the Twins tonight: Taj Bradley.

After spending parts of three seasons in their rotation, Bradley was dealt to the Twins for reliever Griffin Jax before last year’s Trade Deadline. The 25-year-old right-hander had his moments with Tampa Bay, especially during an elite stretch in 2024, and he’s had more for Minnesota to begin this season, with a 3-0 record and 1.63 ERA in his first five starts.

“The stuff is unbelievable, right? It wasn’t a matter of if. It was more a matter of when,” said Drew Rasmussen, who is scheduled to start opposite Bradley in the series opener. “So to see the success, there’s no surprise to that.”

The Rays were in Chicago for MLB’s annual celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, so they will recognize the 79th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier tonight at Tropicana Field.

For starters, the team will continue its annual $100,000 investment supporting nonprofit organizations breaking barriers in the Tampa Bay community. The five recipients of this year’s Jackie Robinson Grant, each receiving $20,000 from the Rays Up Foundation, are AMIkids, Girls Inc. of Pinellas, Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, Stillpoint Mission and The Studio@620.

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