Tampa Bay Rays

Injuries are unfortunately a major part of sports, and sometimes that goes beyond just the athletes.

Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder injured himself while walking out for a mound visit with pitcher Shane McClanahan during Saturday's loss to the Detroit Tigers. After Snyder returned to the dugout, manager Kevin Cash had to take over for the visit.

"He pulled a calf muscle—pulled it, strained it, popped it—we haven't gotten the final injury report yet," Cash said of Snyder after the game. "I had to step up."

McClanahan had only allowed two runs through his first six innings, so the pitching coach likely didn't get much of a warm-up before his seventh-inning mound visit. It might be a lesson that even if you're not playing in a game, it's always important to stretch before any activity.

The Rays have had poor injury luck this year already with 15 players currently on the injured list. Snyder's latest injury only adds to the issues for the 57-50 squad.

The Baltimore Orioles are acquiring outfielder Brett Phillips from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.

The Rays announced Monday they were designating Phillips for assignment. The Star-Ledger's Brendan Kuty reported the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies had all shown initial interest in adding the 28-year-old.

Phillips will always hold a special place in Rays history for his decisive hit in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series.

His departure from Tampa Bay comes amid a difficult 2022 season, though. Phillips has a .147/.225/.250 slash line. Among 328 hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, his .218 wOBA ranks 324th, per FanGraphs.

The Orioles finally seem to be turning a corner after four years of being abjectly bad. A 52-51 record is cause for celebration for a team that had a .326 winning percentage from 2018 to 2021.

But that wasn't enough for general manager Mike Elias to make the kind of improvements that could help Baltimore push for a wild-card berth in the American League. Elias traded fan favorite Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros on Monday and then sent 2022 All-Star Jorge Lopez to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.

Phillips is under team control for two more seasons, so he could potentially contribute to the Orioles beyond this season.

But considering three of the franchise's top 10 prospects on MLB.com are outfielders (Colton Cowser, Kyle Stowers and Heston Kjerstad), this could be the case of Baltimore getting just enough depth to hold out until the young stars are ready to be called up.

Multiple teams have reportedly expressed interest in outfielder Brett Phillips, who was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

According to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies are among the teams known to have inquired about or shown interest in Phillips.

Phillips has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Rays as a reserve outfielder after previous stints with the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals.

Although Phillips has never been much of a hitter, he is known for his high-energy play, speed and solid defense in the outfield.

The 28-year-old veteran is a career .190 hitter and is hitting just .147 this season with five home runs, 14 RBI and seven stolen bases, but he enjoyed his most productive season in 2021.

Even though he hit just .206, Phillips set career highs with 13 homers, 44 RBI, 14 steals and 50 runs scored across 118 games.

Phillips has primarily played center field and right field, but he has seen some action in left field as well and is capable of playing all three outfield positions effectively, which adds to his value.

Per Baseball Reference, Phillips has made just two errors this season and has eight defensive runs saved above average in right field. Overall, Phillips has 38 defensive runs saved above average across all three outfield positions in his career.

Phillips is perhaps best known for his entertaining forays into pitching, as the Rays let him make relief appearances four times over the past two seasons when games were out of hand.

He posted a 16.20 ERA over five innings in those appearances, but made the highlights thanks to his eephus pitches and willingness to sprint off the mound in order to make plays defensively.

If a team acquires him, his value will come in the form of being a defensive replacement and pinch runner, which tends to be a key role late in the season and into the playoffs.

The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are all in the playoff race to varying degrees and could potentially benefit from a versatile player like Phillips.

New York has the best record in the American League and already addressed its outfield by acquiring All-Star Andrew Benintendi from the Royals. Bringing in Phillips would likely be incumbent on finding a team to take the struggling Joey Gallo at the deadline.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox are three games out of a wild-card spot in the AL and the Phillies hold a one-game lead for the final wild-card spot in the NL.

The New York Yankees are trying to move on from outfielder Joey Gallo and have reportedly received interest from the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (h/t Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors).

Gallo is hitting just .159 with a .282 on-base percentage and 12 home runs in 82 games this season with the Yankees.

The 28-year-old joined New York in a July trade from the Texas Rangers last season but now appears to be on his way out before becoming a free agent this offseason.

Gallo did hit 13 home runs in just 58 games last year with the Yankees, but his .160 batting average left a lot to be desired. Even he acknowledged his shortcomings after continued struggles in 2022.

"I feel bad," Gallo told Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. "It's something I'm gonna have to really live with for the rest of my life. It's going to be tough. I didn't play well, I didn't live up to expectations. And that's a tough pill to swallow."

New York acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi to effectively replace Gallo's spot in the lineup.

Despite his struggles with the Yankees, the slugger clearly has some value around the league. He had two All-Star selections and two Gold Glove Awards with the Rangers and is averaging 39 home runs per 162 games over his career. He hit at least 40 home runs in consecutive seasons in 2017-18.

The Rays and Padres–currently ranked 22nd and 25th, respectively, in the majors in total home runs this season–could especially use this production.

The Brewers do have quality power hitters in Rowdy Tellez, Willy Adames and others, but they could use more outfield depth with the aging Christian Yelich and Andrew McCutchen rotating at designated hitter.

Gallo could represent a high-upside, buy-low option for any of these playoff contenders.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was moved to the 60-day injured list Saturday with a left hip injury, and he might not return to the lineup this season because of the ailment.

"Yeah, it is [tough to grasp]," Kiermaier said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "It hasn't really hit me just yet. ... For right now I'm kind of in that limbo, in-between period, but I think we will all know more here shortly."

Kiermaier hasn't played since a July 9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He played most of that game but was removed in the ninth inning for a pinch-runner after experiencing left hip discomfort.

The 32-year-old also spent time on the injured list in June with the same hip ailment. He was sidelined the minimum 10 days before being reactivated and returning on July 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Kiermaier is set to see a specialist in Nashville after this weekend's All-Star break and surgery has not been ruled out, per the Associated Press. The earliest he can be activated from the injured list is September.

In 63 games this season, Kiermaier was hitting .228/.281/.369 with seven home runs, 22 RBI and six stolen bases.

The Indiana native has spent his entire career with the Rays, who selected him in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his debut in 2013 but did not become a full-time player for Tampa Bay until the 2014 campaign.

Kiermaier has won three Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove in his 10 seasons with the Rays, though he hasn't won any awards since the 2019 season, when he won his third Gold Glove.

With Kiermaier sidelined, the Rays have primarily relied on Josh Lowe in center field. The 24-year-old is hitting .196/.253/.329 with two home runs, 12 RBI and two stolen bases in 41 games.

Veteran Brett Phillips has also seen time in center field. The 28-year-old is hitting .144/.213/.240 with four home runs, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases in 66 games.

Moving Kiermaier to the 60-day IL allowed the Rays to clear a roster spot for second baseman Brandon Lowe, who was recently activated from the 60-day IL after being sidelined since May with a lower-back injury.

Even without Kiermaier in the lineup, the Rays are 7-3 in their last 10 games and enter Saturday's matchup against the Baltimore Orioles second in the AL East with a 50-40 record.

The Tampa Bay Rays celebrated Pride Night during Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox, but some players on the team chose not to participate.

This was the organization's 16th Pride Night event at Tropicana Field. For the first time, the Rays added rainbow-colored logos on their uniforms, specifically the "TB" on their caps and the sunburst on their right jersey sleeves.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that "well more than half the players appeared to participate." However, pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson were among the players who peeled off the sunburst on their sleeves and wore the standard hats.

Adam was elected by team officials to speak about opting out of wearing the uniforms, and he cited religion as the reason:

A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision. So it’s a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it's just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it's just that maybe we don't want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who's encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It's no different. It's not judgmental. It's not looking down. It's just what we believe the lifestyle he's encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.

Veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier is one of the players who have a differing view, saying that he was raised to treat people equally.

"It's one of those things, my parents taught me to love everyone as they are, go live your life, whatever your preferences are, go be you," Kiermaier said. "I can't speak for everyone who's in here, obviously, but this is a family-friendly environment here at a big league ball field. ... We just want everyone to feel welcomed and included and cheer us on. No matter what your views on anything are."

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty voiced his displeasure with the Rays players who refused to wear the logos:

Rays manager Kevin Cash addressed the situation after Sunday's game, saying he doesn't think it will divide the team.

"First and foremost, I think the organization has done a really good thing to have Pride Nights supporting our gay community to come out and have a nice night at the ballpark," Cash said. "Impressed that our players have had those conversations and we want to support our players that choose to wear or choose not to wear to the best of our capabilities."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law earlier this year that bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for children in kindergarten to the third grade.

Despite the state government's apparent efforts to marginalize the LGBTQ+ community, the Rays have remained involved in efforts to support it. According to Topkin, Tampa Bay was "the first pro sports team to sign an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting same-sex marriage and joining the 'It Gets Better' campaign to fight youth bullying."

Saturday's Pride Night had an attendance of 19,452, while the season average for Rays games is 16,868. Sunday's series finale against the White Sox had a crowd of 11,162.

The Tampa Bay Rays are helping in the efforts to curb gun violence in the United States.

Ahead of Thursday's game against the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay announced it donated $50,000 to Everytown for Gun Safety's support fund, which it explained "is the largest gun violence prevention organization in America."

The statement also said, "We all deserve to be safe in schools, grocery stores, places of worship, our neighborhoods, houses and America. … This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know, if nothing changes, nothing changes."

The Rays' Twitter header is an image with the words "end gun violence."

Both teams announced they will use their social media pages to provide facts about gun violence during the game:

Tampa Bay's donation comes after a shooter killed 10 people at a Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, and another killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday.

Following Tuesday's violence, Ryan Bergeron of CNN noted "there have been more mass shootings than days in the year" in the U.S. in 2022.

Tampa Bay Rays minor league pitcher Tyler Zombro is planning on resuming his playing career after he was struck in the head by a comebacker in June.

Zombro told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he intends on attending minor league spring training and he expects to pitch again this season. He said he underwent a CT scan in December that revealed that the fracture he suffered had healed.

"They said, 'You're good to go,'" Zombro said. "So I've booked my housing for spring (training), and I'll be there."

A right-handed reliever, Zombro was pitching for Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate in Durham when he was hit by a line drive up the middle that was clocked at 104 mph. The ball struck him on the right side of his head above his ear, causing him to fall unconscious in a scary scene.

Zombro had to have 16 plates and 32 screws installed into his head "to stabilize his skull and reduce pressure on his brain," per Topkin. He also lost motor skills on the left side of his body temporarily and had his speech impaired.

Zombro spent about a week in Duke University Hospital before being discharged. He told Topkin that he's close to a full recovery.

"Within the next month to two months, I certainly will be 100 percent," he said.

When Zombro makes his eventual return to the mound, Topkin stated he will do so while "wearing protective headgear under his cap, a custom-fitted Kevlar-padded insert, with no other limitations or special treatment."