ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays tweaked their 40-man roster on Sunday, and catcher Luke Maile became the casualty of the move as the 26-year-old was designated for assignment.
Because outfielder Peter Bourjos was not on the team's 40-man roster, he had to be added prior to Sunday's noon ET deadline. Heading into Sunday, the Rays had four catchers on their 40-man roster -- not including Wilson Ramos, who will begin the season on the 60-day disabled list -- which was a high number, so appearances suggested the Rays might DFA or trade Curt Casali or Maile.
"I'm pretty surprised," said Maile, who was optioned to Minor League camp last week. "But then again, this has kind of been the offseason of things not going exactly as planned, or by the book. Nothing really surprises me anymore. Fortunately, I still have my health, and that's all you can ask for."
Maile got a call from Chaim Bloom, senior vice president, baseball operations for the Rays, on Saturday night telling him "one way or another, it was kind of my [roster] spot [that was going to be opened up]."
Maile hit .371 with four RBIs this spring. He does not yet know what he'll do.
"I'll do the same thing I guess everybody else does in my situation," Maile said. "Take it easy for a few days and wait and hope."
Maile was recalled from Triple-A Durham over the All-Star break and started 35 of the Rays' final 74 games in 2016. He threw out seven of 25 attempted basestealers (28 percent), the best rate ever by a Rays rookie backstop. He hit .227 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.
"In one sense, I'm excited," Maile said. "It's an opportunity for something to happen. But the timing is not good, since all the teams' rosters have already been set. I feel good about the spring I had and how I've been playing, though."