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Roster Moves Build Flexibility For The Stretch Drive
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Published: September 1, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG - The Rays recalled speedy OF Fernando Perez from Durham on Sunday night in a brief flurry of moves designed to set up their roster for maximum flexibility should they make the playoffs.
By bringing Perez to the majors before midnight Sunday, the Rays made him eligible to appear on their postseason roster. He'll join the team Tuesday after the Rays cleared a spot by optioning RHP Juan Salas to Montgomery.
Salas will be here Tuesday as well. By sending him to Montgomery, whose season ends today, the Rays ensured they would be able to recall the reliever Tuesday. That wouldn't have been the case if he had been sent to Durham, which will participate in the playoffs. The Rays also plan to call up C John Jaso from Durham and activate RHP Troy Percival from the 15-day disabled list before the series opener against the Yankees.
The Rays made a couple of other moves Sunday night, recalling RHP Jae Kuk Ryu and immediately placing him on the 15-day disabled list and releasing veteran C Mike DiFelice.
Perez, 25, is a Columbia University grad who is known for his speed and defense. The switch-hitter swiped 43 bases and tallied 11 triples for Durham this season while hitting .288 in 129 games. He got the call over the likes of Jonny Gomes and Elliot Johnson because he probably would be a better fit as a late-game replacement.
"We felt like he's got a unique skill set that if we wanted to go that way would help diversify us a little bit," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said in an evening conference call.
Like Perez, the 24-year-old Jaso was in big-league spring training with the Rays this year but has spent the entire season in the minors. One of the reasons the Rays tabbed him as their third catcher over DiFelice was because Jaso already was on the 40-man roster, but Friedman said he doesn't anticipate Jaso will get much playing time as the team's third catcher.
The Rays have one spot open on the 40-man after releasing LHP Kurt Birkins late last week and could use it to bring up a non-roster player like 1B Dan Johnson, who has put up great numbers at Durham. But he and anyone else the Rays might decide to call up - like LHP David Price - will have to wait until the Bulls finish their playoff run unless an injury necessitates an earlier call-up.
Bringing up Ryu, who has been out since May with elbow problems, creates another spot the Rays could use to get someone who wasn't on the roster Sunday into the playoffs. They would be able to replace Ryu and RHP Chad Orvella, who has been on the DL all season, with any player who was in their organization as of midnight Sunday.
THAT ONE HURT: Three Rays batters were hit by pitches Sunday, but Rays manager Joe Maddon only had a problem with one of them. Of Orioles reliever Jim Johnson plunking Jason Bartlett - who had homered his previous time up - in the eighth inning, Maddon had this to say:
"The last one was intentional. ... I really don't know why they did it, but it was on purpose."
As supporting evidence, Maddon cited the appearance of a many Orioles players, including the injured Melvin Mora and Adam Jones, materializing on the top step of the dugout for the ninth inning.
"Everybody that had been inside, they were out there expecting something to happen because of what they did," Maddon said.
But Jason Hammel didn't retaliate, leaving open the question of whether anything might transpire when the teams get together again the final week of the season. Bartlett didn't sound interested in that prospect.
"I'm not even going to go into that," he said. "It happened, and to me, it's the past."
HIT AND RUN: CF B.J. Upton said he didn't need to leave Sunday's game after taking a pitch off the inside of his right ankle in the sixth inning, but Maddon thought it would be a good idea, given the game already was out of reach.
"It just kind of caught me flush on the ankle," Upton said. "I told Joe I was ready to stay in, but after that inning he told me to go in the clubhouse and get done what I needed to get done."
Earlier in the game, Upton recorded his 40th stolen base of the season, making him the second player in Rays history to reach that plateau. Carl Crawford has done it the last five years.
Upton has blown past his 2007 total of 22 steals, but said numbers like he has now are more what he expects from himself on the bases. His career-high for stolen bases in any season is 57 in 2006 - 46 of them coming with Durham and 11 with Tampa Bay.
ANOTHER BREAK: C Dioner Navarro was out of the lineup Sunday, a day after he returned to the field following a three-game absence due to sore hamstrings. Apparently all the running he did in Saturday's wild win caused a bit of aggravation in his legs.
"He was a little bit sore and we didn't want to push it today," said Maddon.
FARM FACTS: The Rays on Sunday reacquired a couple of veterans who spent time with Durham last year to shore up the Bulls for their playoff run.
IF Jorge Velandia came from the Indians and C Michel Hernandez from the Pirates for cash considerations. They were signed to play for Durham, but by acquiring them Sunday, the Rays ensured both would be eligible for activation during the playoffs should the need arise.
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