TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Rays' Organizational Depth Is Being Tested

ADVERTISEMENT

By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 10, 2008

BOSTON - That organizational depth the Rays worked so hard to cultivate over the winter and throughout this season is getting its stiffest test at a most inopportune time.

Injuries prompted the Rays to bring up a pair of veterans from Durham on Tuesday as they tried to give Manager Joe Maddon as many options as possible for the stretch run. Tampa Bay added 1B/OF Dan Johnson and C Michel Hernandez to the active roster, designating IF Joel Guzman for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.

"We're certainly pushing the envelope on this whole depth area that we felt like we had addressed," Executive Vice President Andrew Friedman said, "but it's part of the game, and it doesn't do any good to dwell on it."

Especially considering the way the Rays' substitutes keep coming up big. Following in the footsteps of Willy Aybar, Johnson homered off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth Tuesday night to tie the game, and Fernando Perez doubled and then scored the go-ahead run on a Dioner Navarro double.

Johnson, 29, originally was slated to start in left field Tuesday, but he and Hernandez were delayed as they tried to make their way to Boston from North Carolina. Ben Zobrist got the call at the last minute. Johnson likely will start in left tonight. Hernandez, 30, could end up getting a start behind the plate this weekend because Maddon is wary of running Navarro into the ground at this late stage.

Friedman said the Rays planned to bring Johnson up at some point this month, but B.J. Upton's injury accelerated things a bit. The former Oakland first baseman hit .307 with 25 homers and 83 RBIs for Durham and has recently expanded his defensive repertoire to include left field and third base. The fact that the Rays aren't slated to face any lefties the rest of this trip earned Johnson a call over Jonny Gomes, who likely will join the Rays when Durham's season is done.

The Rays opted for Hernandez over Mike DiFelice, who was released Aug. 31 after spending the entire season in the Tampa Bay organization, because Friedman felt it was "the right thing to do." Hernandez is an 11-year minor-league veteran whose only big-league experience consists of five games with the Yankees in 2003. He's known for his defensive abilities.

"I don't know Hernandez that well," Maddon, said "but Charlie Montoyo, Durham's manager gives him a really glowing recommendation, and I know he's been around a little bit."

INJURY UPDATES: The latest reinforcements were necessary after Upton went down with a strained left quadriceps Monday and the Rays realized C Shawn Riggans' bout with bursitis in the right knee could potentially sideline him for a while.

Upton said he probably won't be able to return to action until this weekend, but he already had seen progress in his quad.

"It feels a lot better than I thought it was going to," Upton said. "Maybe it'll be a little bit sooner than I thought it would be. I'll probably be in the training room all day and we'll see what we're working with after tonight, but for right now we're still looking at New York."

Riggans' situation is more serious. A potential infection in his right knee has the Rays considering his absence "indefinite," Maddon said.

RHP Juan Salas said he was feeling "a lot better" Tuesday after being hospitalized the previous day after an epileptic seizure. Through an interpreter, Salas said the frequency of those episodes is unpredictable.

"Sometimes I go a long time without it - two or three years - and sometimes it happens," he said.

Salas said he wasn't sure if he was feeling good enough to pitch Wednesday.

NOTEWORTHY: Scott Dohmann gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth and Durham lost 8-7 to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the first game of the best-of-five Governors' Cup final. The Bulls had rallied to take the lead with five runs in the eighth. ... ESPN picked up Friday night's Rays-Yankees game and will show it in most of the country. The game will be aired on FSN Florida in the Tampa area.

Marc Lancaster

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT