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 -- Richie Palacios was on his way to work out last Friday, preparing himself for ground balls in the infield and fly balls in the outfield, when his phone started buzzing. Friends had seen word start to circulate on social media that Palacios was being traded from the Cardinals to the Rays.

“It was just rumors at that point, so I was just telling my friends to stop sending me that stuff,” Palacios said, laughing. “For the first time, the friends looking through rumors were actually right.”

Less than an hour later, Palacios received a phone call from Cardinals GM Michael Girsch informing him that he had, in fact, been traded to the Rays for 2021 All-Star reliever Andrew Kittredge.

It was the second time in less than seven months that Palacios was changing teams, as the 26-year-old outfielder had gone from Cleveland to St. Louis last June, but he was thrilled to learn of the new opportunity.

“Obviously an exciting feeling when you get that call,” Palacios said in a phone interview. “You’re going to a new organization, a very successful organization that’s been doing it for a while.

“The young core is solid, and more importantly, the guys, the energy that they bring is exciting. [Jose] Siri, [Randy] Arozarena, [Yandy] Díaz  -- they like to have fun on the field, and I feel like that’s my M.O. … So I feel like my personality and the way I play fits perfectly with the way Tampa [Bay] has been playing.”

Palacios will have to earn a spot, as the Rays have another young left-handed hitter they want to get at-bats in Jonathan Aranda, but the opportunity before him is clear. He was acquired the same day Luke Raley was dealt to Seattle, and the two share some similarities in their profiles.

Raley is a left-handed-hitting outfielder capable of playing all three spots and some infield, specifically first base. Palacios is a left-handed-hitting outfielder capable of playing all three spots and some infield, having entered Cleveland’s system as a second baseman.

There are differences, of course. Palacios might not have Raley’s raw strength and power at the plate, but he’s posted high on-base percentages and relatively low strikeout rates in the Minors. Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander noted last week that Palacios “sees the ball exceptionally well, has great at-bats, doesn’t swing and miss very often … and I think is learning how to impact the baseball a little bit more.”

That showed up after Palacios was designated for assignment by the Guardians and purchased by the Cardinals last June. He crushed the ball for Triple-A Memphis, batting .299/.418/.459 with five homers and more walks (32) than strikeouts (20) in 40 games. He kept hitting after a late-season promotion to St. Louis, slashing .258/.307/.516 with six homers in 32 games.

Palacios said that extended hot streak wasn’t attributable to one change but rather a return to the things that made him successful in the past and “all parts of a hitter coming together.” He called it an “awesome” boost of confidence, a reminder that hard work pays off and one more thing that could bode well for him and his new team.

“A steppingstone for what’s to come,” he said.