Healthy Tampa Bay Rays ‘Excited’ To Get 2023 Season Underway

The Tampa Bay Rays will open the season Thursday afternoon against visiting Detroit looking very much like the team that went quietly in last year’s wild-card series at Cleveland. Rays fans should not have any problem with that if — and this is a huge “if” — the team can stay healthy.

The Rays already had a bit of a scare when Wander Franco was scratched from the last couple of Grapefruit League games with a sore right quad. The 22-year-old shortstop, who missed nearly half of the 2022 season with various ailments, including an injured quad, said Wednesday morning that he is good to go.

“I have been able to do all the basic stuff and I don’t anticipate any problems,” he said through interpreter Manny Navarro before taking the field for practice. “I feel really good. What I have been working all off-season for is opening day and I am ready to go.”

Manager Kevin Cash feels that his young switch-hitting star is ready to go as the curtain rises on the 2023 season.

“I do feel good about the treatment he has received and I know he is excited for (Thursday),” said Cash, who will begin his 10^th season as Tampa Bay’s skipper.

Since the Rays opened spring training in Lake Buena Vista in mid-February, much of the focus has been on the health of Franco as well as second baseman Brandon Lowe. The latter had a healthy and productive (.306, 3 HR) spring training after lower back problems, along with a triceps contusion, limited him 65 games in 2022.

Exercise and stretching programs have Lowe feeling as good as he has in quite a while.

“Making sure that I’m in the weight room, working out, probably around five days a week just to stay on top of some sort of program, some sort of regimen and make sure my body is staying strong,” he said about halfway through the Grapefruit League schedule on his preparation for this season. “Hopefully, that was just, I think, just a freak injury last year and hopefully there are no aftereffects or anything.”

A healthy Lowe, who in 2021 hit 39 homers, drove in 99 runs and was a member of the American League all-star team, will go a long way toward addressing the Rays’ need for production from the left side of the plate. There was an expectation general manager Peter Bendix would trade for or sign a power bat from the left side, especially after the way outfielder Josh Lowe struggled (.221, 627 OPS) last season.

However, Lowe and Luke Raley, acquired from the Dodgers last March, had productive springs and earned spots on the opening day roster.

“I got more comfortable around everybody, which is a big thing for young players,” said Lowe of his spring. “I started to learn a lot more. The more comfortable you are the better you are for the season. I am excited for this year and ready to go.”

Raley made his first opening day roster after a consistently strong Grapefruit League season in which he hit. 326 with five. The 28-year-old, who has looked good at first base and can also play the corner outfield spots, had 61 at-bats (.197) with the Rays last season while spending most of the year with Triple-A Durham.

“We have confidence in them,” said Cash, of Lowe and Raley. “We do not want to add pressure on them. We have what we consider plenty of good options. A healthy Brandon Lowe is a pretty good left-handed bat. Wander being healthy. He is a pretty good left-handed bat. You like to see what Luke and Josh did in spring training. If that can kind of slide over into opening day and through the regular season, I think we will all be very, very pleased.”

The skipper should be very pleased once again with his pitching staff. Though Tyler Glasnow was sidelined early in spring training with a left oblique strain and could be out of action a few more weeks, the rotation should be strong with Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs, Zach Eflin and Josh Fleming. Eflin signed as a free agent after seven seasons with the Phillies.

McClanahan, coming off a season in which he went 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA and started the all-star game for the American League, though won only twice after the break, will make his second straight opening day start.

“There’s a lot of excitement going around,” said McClanahan. “Opening day is a very special day for all of us.”

The Rays hope this will be a special season. At least through the spring, all signs were pointed up for a club that has only two new faces in Eflin and righthanded reliever Kevin Kelly, who has yet to appear in an MLB game.

“Just excited for the guys,” said Cash. “We really like this team. They worked hard this spring and we’re excited for them to kick this (season) off in good fashion.”