'He just rolls out of bed and hits': Díaz soaring as Rays' season winds down 

BALTIMORE -- It might be hard to remember now, but there was a time this season when the performance of Yandy Díaz provided some cause for concern.

At the end of April, the muscular mainstay in Tampa Bay’s lineup was batting just .254 with a .694 OPS. A month later, Díaz's average had dipped to .241 and his OPS to .690. Two years removed from winning the Rays’ first American League batting title, was it bad luck, a slow start or the beginning of something more alarming?

While he occasionally acknowledged his frustration, Díaz insisted he wasn’t worried. Neither were the Rays. He was still hitting the ball hard, they said, and putting together quality at-bats. As it turns out, they had nothing to worry about.

Although he went 0-for-3 as the Rays were held to two hits during a 6-0 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday night at Camden Yards, Díaz is authoring a strong finish to one of his best all-around offensive seasons. In fact, he believes he’s been better than ever.

“I think this probably is the best stretch that I've had. In 2023, I was the batting champion, but it doesn't compare to this year,” Díaz said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “I put some goals in mind, and I'm accomplishing them right now.

“At the beginning of the season, like you guys know, it wasn't showing. But right now, everything is flowing, and I'm happy for that.”

“Flowing” might be an appropriate word, because the hits have poured out of Díaz’s bat lately. He went 13-for-22 and reached safely in 22 of his 31 plate appearances last week, good enough to earn his first career AL Player of the Week Award on Monday.

That punctuated an incredible month at the plate for Díaz. Between Aug. 25 and Sunday, the 34-year-old had a hit in 19 of his past 24 games, batting .432/.519/.648 with seven doubles, four homers, 10 RBIs, 16 walks, 11 strikeouts and 18 runs. During that stretch, his 1.167 OPS ranked third in the Majors behind only the Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Mets' Juan Soto.

Moving Díaz off first base every day and into more of a DH role was part of the Rays’ plan to keep his bat in the lineup as often as possible. During Spring Training, manager Kevin Cash said it would give the Rays “a chance to see Yandy for 150 games rather than 125.”

It’s playing out that way, as Díaz has set career highs in games (147) and plate appearances (642). In the end, his production in a lot of categories will compare favorably to what he did in 2023, when he finished sixth in the AL MVP voting. He leads MLB with 53 multihit games, and he’s established new career-best marks with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs. Díaz has matched the 173 hits he recorded in 2023, and he is two extra-base hits shy of tying his career high on that front, too.

“He just rolls out of bed and hits,” starter Shane Baz said, “and it's amazing.”

Seeing Díaz hit for a high average is nothing new. He batted .330 in 2023, and he’s a career .291 hitter. Getting on base at a high rate is also a huge part of his game, as his .366 OBP this season is roughly in line with his career .372 mark.

He’s practically perfected the art of the opposite-field single, routinely slapping hard ground balls through the right side of the infield. Teammate Brandon Lowe cites those “backside hits” as Díaz’s most impressive skill, and Díaz said it traces back to his days as a younger player in Cuba.

“I was always a leadoff hitter or a second hitter, and they always told us that if you hit to the opposite field, you're gonna hit .300,” he said. “So that stuck in my mind, and that's why I do it.”

The uptick in power is relatively new for Díaz and admittedly surprises him. He broke out for 22 homers and 35 doubles two seasons ago, both career-high totals, and while he’s returned to his slugging ways this season, he’s gone about it differently.

In 2023, Díaz launched 17 home runs to center, left-center or left field, tapping into his pull-side power. This season, 20 of his homers have gone out to center, right-center or right field, and he hit 18 of his 25 at home, frequently capitalizing on the short porch at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Anybody still thinking about that slow start?

“He’s put together a great season,” closer Pete Fairbanks said. “He's as complete of a hitter as you'll find, between knowledge of balls and strikes, contact ability, when he decides he wants to hit the ball out of the yard. He's as good as it gets.”