PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays’ Opening Day roster is not yet set, but it is coming into clearer focus.
After they optioned infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios, outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy and right-hander Joe Boyle to Triple-A Durham on Friday, the Rays informed infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade that he will make the team.
Vilade will work in the outfield against left-handed pitchers and he could slide in to play some first and second base, where he lined up on Saturday when Gavin Lux was scratched due to what Cash called a “cranky” shoulder.
“Happy for him. He's going to be on our club,” manager Kevin Cash said after the Rays’ 3-2 win over the Twins at Charlotte Sports Park. “That was a fun conversation to have. You have a lot of challenging conversations. To tell a guy like him that he's made our team is pretty special.”
Meanwhile, the Rays told non-roster left-hander Cam Booser that he would not make the team.
Booser will stay in Spring Training and he will pitch in a game before the team heads north to St. Louis. He has an assignment clause in his Minor League contract, which will allow him to pursue an opportunity elsewhere before Opening Day, so he has a few days to evaluate his options and decide what comes next.
Booser, the 33-year-old lefty with an incredible story of perseverance, has pitched well this spring. In nine outings, he has allowed just one run on three hits and four walks while striking out nine.
With Booser no longer a candidate for a spot in the bullpen, the Rays essentially have seven relievers left to fill five spots: Hunter Bigge, Mason Englert, Yoendrys Gómez, Luis Guerrero, Kevin Kelly, Ian Seymour and Cole Sulser. The club also typically monitors the market for any intriguing arms that might become available as other teams shuffle their rosters during the final days of Spring Training.
Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Bryan Baker will handle most of the high-leverage work to start the season. Edwin Uceta (shoulder) will also be a part of the late-inning mix, but he is set to begin the season on the injured list.
There are a few things to consider as the Rays put together their relief corps. First, it’s worth noting that Gómez and Sulser are out of Minor League options, so Tampa Bay would risk losing the two right-handers by not carrying them on the Opening Day roster.
The Rays also like to have at least two pitchers capable of working up to three innings, especially as they ease in a couple starters facing workload restrictions, namely Steven Matz and Shane McClanahan. That should work in favor of Englert, Gómez and Seymour.
As far as whittling down their position player group, most of the Rays’ work appears to be done. They still have not made a final decision regarding the shortstop position following Taylor Walls’ right oblique injury, which will result in him starting the season on the injured list.
Top prospect Carson Williams has returned to big league camp, even though he was technically optioned to the Minors on Tuesday. The Rays essentially have three options: make Williams the starting shortstop, acquire someone else to play shortstop or use Ben Williamson as the shortstop with someone else handling his utility-infield role.
“With Carson being here, we brought him back for a reason,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ll just see how it plays out. You’re kind of at the mercy of all the decisions that maybe [president of baseball operations] Erik [Neander] might make. But there’s no timetable [until] rosters need to be set.”
Camp notes
• Back from an excellent run pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, high-leverage reliever Jax made short work of an outing against his former Twins teammates. He threw two pitches and got a double play to end the fifth inning, setting himself up to pitch a second day in a row on Sunday.
Jax admitted the shift in atmosphere, from the frenzied fans at the WBC to a calm Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park, was somewhat jarring.
“It felt like practice today,” Jax said, smiling. “I walked out in the second or third inning and I looked in the stands, and I’m like, ‘This is weird. It feels like I’m about to throw a bullpen or something.’ I had a little extra juice because I got to throw against the old team, so that was good. ... I need Opening Day to get the adrenaline back, for sure.”
• First baseman Jonathan Aranda had a big day at the plate, crushing a Statcast-projected 381-foot homer and ripping a 100.1 mph double.