The Rays have been holding daily workouts that consist mostly of intrasquad scrimmages since Spring Training 2.0 began on July 1st. A few players were left out of team workouts for the first couple weeks due to Covid-19 testing. Tyler Glasnow was one of those players, but he returned a few days ago after testing negative twice for the coronavirus. Austin Meadows and Jose Martinez haven’t been able to practice with the team yet. Yesterday, Meadows consented to allow the Rays to inform the public of his positive Covid-19 test that has placed him on the Injured List. He could be out for up to two weeks depending on the results of his upcoming tests. This is a major loss for the Rays as he will likely miss the series against the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that Meadows tore apart offensively last season. Austin hit .411 with an .822 slugging percentage against the AL East foe.
Minor league pitchers, Shane Baz and Shane McClanahan were brought up for Tropicana Field workouts the other day and they impressed the coaching staff. Cash believes that the young hurlers could make some appearances this season out of the Rays bullpen. John Curtiss and Ryan Thompson are two more arms that may get some innings this season. Curtiss only gave up 2 hits in 7 innings during the shortened Spring Training. The 40-man roster saw another addition yesterday as LHP Aaron Loup became a member. Loup posted a 1.93 ERA in 4 Spring Training games and it looks like he could be a productive reliever out of the pen.
Source: tbraysreviews.com
