ST. PETERSBURG -- When the MLB Draft Lottery broke in the Rays’ favor at the Winter Meetings last December, rewarding them with the No. 2 overall pick, amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci said his phone “blew up” with messages. Picking that high is a rare and important opportunity for the

ST. PETERSBURG -- Take away a three-batter stretch in the fifth inning, and Rays starter Griffin Jax was perfect on Monday night. Unfortunately for Jax and the Rays, that three-batter stretch was enough to swing the game in the Yankees’ favor.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Before celebrating Venezuelan Heritage Night at Tropicana Field on Monday, the Rays announced a donation to support relief and rescue efforts to those affected by recent earthquakes in Venezuela. The Rays Up Foundation will commit $100,000 to the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which provides fresh meals in

HOUSTON -- The American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays will send four All-Stars to Philadelphia for the 96th Midsummer Classic. Junior Caminero headlines the selections being voted by the fans -- earning 66% of the final vote over Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto -- as the starting third baseman for the AL.

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- Junior Caminero’s home run binge ended Thursday night, as he played a game without going deep for the first time since June 24, but the Rays’ winning streak is alive and well.

KANSAS CITY -- Jonathan Aranda had barely gotten situated at first base after a first-inning single off Royals starter Seth Lugo, and all of a sudden the ball was flying off Junior Caminero’s bat, bound for the seats beyond the visitors’ bullpen at Kauffman Stadium.

KANSAS CITY -- Anticipating large crowds as they honor franchise icon Evan Longoria during the final series before the All-Star break, the Rays are opening the upper deck at Tropicana Field for Longo’s Legacy Weekend.

This year, there's a new way to watch Rays baseball. The Rays announced on Feb. 2 that their local television broadcasts will be produced and distributed by Major League Baseball, starting this season. Subscriptions to Rays.TV presented by Union Home Mortgage, the new direct-to-consumer streaming platform for in-market games, are

KANSAS CITY -- Why wait for Philadelphia? On the day he committed to the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, Junior Caminero continued his incredible homer binge by going deep for the fifth straight game in the Rays’ 10-4 win over the Royals on Tuesday night.

KANSAS CITY -- There was good news for the Rays all over the place on the injury front on Tuesday. At Kauffman Stadium, designated hitter Yandy Díaz was back in the starting lineup, batting leadoff, after exiting Sunday’s series finale against the D-backs early due to a nagging left shoulder

KANSAS CITY -- Junior Caminero spent the past week making nearly every at-bat his personal Home Run Derby. Why not make it official and sign up for the real thing? Fresh off a history-making hot streak at the plate, Caminero on Tuesday announced his decision to participate in the T-Mobile

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays reached the midway point of their season on Sunday afternoon in a good place. And no, we don’t mean that in the literal sense about Tropicana Field, although they are 31-12 inside their home dome this season.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Can anyone stop Junior Caminero and the Rays right now? Caminero’s next-level hot streak continued in the Rays’ 5-1, sweep-sealing win over the D-backs on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field, when Tampa Bay’s superstar slugger went deep for the fourth straight game by launching the longest home

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz exited Sunday’s 5-1 win over the D-backs at Tropicana Field due to a left shoulder strain, but he is expected to be fine. Díaz has plenty of experience playing through pain in his shoulder, and he doesn’t think it will be any

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are giving Shane McClanahan a bit of a breather. Rather than keeping their rotation order in place this weekend, the Rays are pushing back McClanahan’s next start until later next week. With veteran Nick Martinez delivering a strong effort in a series-opening, 6-1 win over

ST. PETERSBURG -- Michael Grove’s last appearance in a Major League uniform came 630 days ago, wearing a Dodgers uniform, when he recorded one out to finish the eighth inning of a lopsided loss to the Padres in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Standing in front of his locker Friday afternoon, Junior Caminero went out of his way to implore Rays fans to show their support in this critical stretch leading into the All-Star break. “It gives us a lot of energy. It gives us a lot of [desire] to

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Reflecting on his on-the-fly role change from late-inning reliever to full-time starter, Griffin Jax said on Tuesday it felt like both “forever ago” and “yesterday” that he was pitching out of the Rays’ bullpen. Those contradictory feelings have more to do with the passage of time than

ST. PETERSBURG -- From a physical standpoint, Shane McClanahan had just about everything going against the Royals on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. McClanahan’s fastball velocity was as good as it’s been all season, and he threw an even mix of his secondary stuff at Kansas City’s lineup. He pounded

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays added another bullpen option on Tuesday afternoon and cut a player once viewed as their catcher of the future. The Rays acquired right-hander Chris Roycroft from the Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations, then optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Durham.

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- For the better part of two months, it seemed like every close game the Rays played went their way. They won nine of the first one-run games they played. They came out on the winning end in five of their first six extra-inning games. Those narrow victories