Rays reassign trio to Minor League camp

Beckham sore after HBP; rotation could be named soon

March 25th, 2016

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Tampa Bay pitchers Kyle McPherson and Mark Sappington, along with infielder Juniel Querecuto -- all non-roster invitees -- were reassigned to Minor League camp Friday. The roster now stands at 40 players.
"We hope it was a good experience for all of them and hope it works out," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "There's a lot to like."
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Sappington, a fifth-round pick in the 2012 Draft, didn't allow a run in 6 1/3 innings this spring, striking out four and allowing five hits and two walks. Playing for Double-A Montgomery in 2015, Sappington put up a 3.69 ERA in 48 games out of the bullpen.
"Sappington made some big strides last year," Cash said. "He developed a cutter through Dick Bosman working with him, and we'll see where it takes him."
McPherson, the only one of the three players with Major League experience after seeing time with the Pirates in 2012, gave up four runs in 8 2/3 innings this spring. McPherson had Tommy John surgery in '14 and was signed to a Minor League deal by Tampa Bay last year. He had a 6.95 ERA in 21 games across three levels last year.
"He's been beat up with some injuries," Cash said. "He said he's finally healthy, and it's showed. He's got pretty good stuff."
Querecuto, meanwhile, was a bright spot among Rays Minor Leaguers this spring, going 7-for-15 at that plate in 14 games. He had an eventful offseason, providing a walk-off single for the Venezuelan team in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier against the Dominican Republic in February.

"His opportunities weren't a lot, but when they came, it seemed like he put some good at-bats together and got some big hits for him," Cash said.
Extra bases
• Tim Beckham, a day after being hit by a pitch on the right ankle in a game against the Yankees, felt sore. He's unlikely to miss significant time, as Cash said he'd like to play the infielder in Saturday's game against the Pirates.
"If he doesn't play, it's not that concerning," Cash said. "But the last thing we want him to do if he's real sore is don't tweak something if you get on base."
• Cash said before Friday's 6-1 loss to the Twins that he planned to release the final rotation after the game, but ultimately he did not. The official announcement should be made soon.
• Pitcher Matt Moore will not be traveling to Dunedin, Fla., for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, the team the Rays see in the first series of the year. Moore will instead throw a Minor League game that day.
• Enny Romero and Steve Geltz pitched in a Minor League game on Friday. Each threw an inning with one strikeout. Romero threw nine pitches, while Geltz had eight.