Rays call up catcher Wilson from Triple-A Durham
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays have called up catcher Bobby Wilson from Triple-A Durham to fill the vacant roster spot left behind after outfielder David DeJesus was traded to the Angels on Tuesday.
The move places a third catcher on Tampa Bay's roster to give the club "some options" with Rene Rivera starting at catcher for the first time since Friday, and Curt Casali remaining in the lineup as the designated hitter.
"With the lineup today, [Wilson] seemed to make the most sense, so we have some coverage late in the game," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "And then with the off day [tomorrow], we'll kind of see where we fall from there."
Wilson played in 24 games with Tampa Bay this season -- 16 starts at catcher -- has batted .145 with four RBIs. The team posted an ERA of 2.85 when he was behind the plate, which would be the eighth-lowest catcher's ERA in the league, if he qualified.
Wilson was designated for assignment on July 11, and he was outrighted to Durham, where he was batting .145 (8-for-55) in 24 games.
Despite Casali's recent hot streak at the plate -- hitting five runs in the past four games -- and Rivera's effectiveness behind the plate, Cash doesn't expect the three-catcher system to be a long-term option for the club.
"As aggressive as we are in the bullpen, we really value that extra pitcher at times," Cash said. "But those are tough questions to answer when you are trying to look into the foreseeable future. We're just trying to go with today's game, and then we'll revisit it after the game."