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TAMPA — Richie Palacios spent three-plus weeks waiting for his broken right ring finger to heal enough so he could grip a bat comfortably and confidently.
He finally was able to start a four-game rehab assignment Saturday and said there were two specific swings during those games with Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham when he knew he was ready to go, leading to his return to the active roster Thursday.
“One was just when I got in the hitter’s count and I was like, ‘I’m going to swing super hard to make sure that I’m good.’ Did that, and it was fine,” Palacios said. “Then I got jammed one time, not purposely, but got jammed pretty well, and the finger acted regular (and) vibrated but I was good after a couple of minutes. So. I knew at those times I was good.”
The Rays welcomed Palacios back with a start in leftfield Thursday against the Yankees, who were making their first visit to their spring home at Steinbrenner Field as visitors.
Palacios also will get time in rightfield and at second base (giving Brandon Lowe an occasional day or DH assignment), and provide help off the bench in several ways.
“He helps us when he’s in the lineup,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s a huge benefit when he’s not in the lineup because of the versatility. He plays good defense in the outfield and at second base, and generally gives us a pretty complete good at-bat where he’ll see some pitches, makes pitchers work and can beat you by shooting (and) spraying line drives all over the place.”
Palacios, a lefty hitter, also pairs with Jose Caballero, a right-hander, as dual multi-purpose threats, including pinch-running. “That’s kind of what we talked about during spring training, having two guys that are very similar with their profile,” Cash said.
To make room on the active roster, the Rays optioned infielder Coco Montes, the USF product, to Durham. Montes went 2-for-10 playing second and third base, with a brief stint in left. He also can play shortstop.
“He did a nice job,” Cash said. “He’s very versatile. Got up there, looked confident a the plate, hit some balls hard. It’s nice to have a guy come up and play all three infield (spots) and an outfield position.”
Cash said Montes will get some reps in the outfield at Durham so “that next time he comes up here, that’s another avenue for him to get in.”
• • •
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He finally was able to start a four-game rehab assignment Saturday and said there were two specific swings during those games with Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham when he knew he was ready to go, leading to his return to the active roster Thursday.
“One was just when I got in the hitter’s count and I was like, ‘I’m going to swing super hard to make sure that I’m good.’ Did that, and it was fine,” Palacios said. “Then I got jammed one time, not purposely, but got jammed pretty well, and the finger acted regular (and) vibrated but I was good after a couple of minutes. So. I knew at those times I was good.”
The Rays welcomed Palacios back with a start in leftfield Thursday against the Yankees, who were making their first visit to their spring home at Steinbrenner Field as visitors.
Palacios also will get time in rightfield and at second base (giving Brandon Lowe an occasional day or DH assignment), and provide help off the bench in several ways.
“He helps us when he’s in the lineup,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s a huge benefit when he’s not in the lineup because of the versatility. He plays good defense in the outfield and at second base, and generally gives us a pretty complete good at-bat where he’ll see some pitches, makes pitchers work and can beat you by shooting (and) spraying line drives all over the place.”
Palacios, a lefty hitter, also pairs with Jose Caballero, a right-hander, as dual multi-purpose threats, including pinch-running. “That’s kind of what we talked about during spring training, having two guys that are very similar with their profile,” Cash said.
To make room on the active roster, the Rays optioned infielder Coco Montes, the USF product, to Durham. Montes went 2-for-10 playing second and third base, with a brief stint in left. He also can play shortstop.
“He did a nice job,” Cash said. “He’s very versatile. Got up there, looked confident a the plate, hit some balls hard. It’s nice to have a guy come up and play all three infield (spots) and an outfield position.”
Cash said Montes will get some reps in the outfield at Durham so “that next time he comes up here, that’s another avenue for him to get in.”
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
