Jays coach Budzinski leaves team following daughter's death
Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski will be away from the team following the death of his eldest daughter, JuliaJULY 3, 2022•ASSOCIATED PRESS
Santiago Espinal - Takes seat SundayEspinal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
ImpactCavan Biggio will be filling in at the keystone in place of Espinal, who appears to be getting a routine maintenance day in the series finale. Espinal went 3-for-11 with two doubles, a walk and two runs in the first three games of the series.
JULY 3, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Taylor Walls - Claims primary role at second baseWalls will start at second base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ImpactWalls will stay in the lineup for the sixth time in seven games and appears to have solidified himself as the Rays' primary second baseman ahead of Vidal Brujan, at least until Brandon Lowe (back) returns from the injured list. Though he's produced a measly .186/.213/.302 slash line since the beginning of June, Walls' excellent defense in the middle infield looks as though it'll be enough to keep him atop the depth chart for now.
JULY 3, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Vidal Bruján - Loses hold of regular roleBrujan remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ImpactBrujan is on the bench for the fourth game in a row and looks to have moved into a utility role in the wake of Isaac Paredes seizing hold of a regular lineup spot and with Wander Franco and Kevin Kiermaier recently returning from the injured list. Taylor Walls looks like he'll serve as the Rays' primary second baseman over Brujan until Brandon Lowe (back) comes off the IL.
JULY 3, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Francisco Mejía - Gets rest SundayMejia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ImpactAfter starting behind the plate and going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in the Rays' 11-5 win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Mejia will get a breather due to the quick turnaround for Sunday's contest. Rene Pinto relieves Mejia behind the dish.
JULY 3, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Harold Ramírez - Pushing for full-time roleRamirez will start in right field and bat third in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
ImpactThe righty-hitting Ramirez will stick in the lineup for an eighth consecutive contest and will be making a fourth straight start against a right-handed pitcher (Ross Stripling). The Rays have mostly deployed Ramirez as a short-side platoon player this season, but he appears to have usurped the struggling Josh Lowe for a full-time spot in either the corner outfield or at designated hitter. While starting the past seven games, Ramirez has gone 11-for-26 (.423 average) with three doubles, three walks, a stolen base, five runs and three RBI.
JULY 3, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Josh Lowe - Losing work to Harold RamirezLowe is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ImpactThe lefty-hitting Lowe is on the bench for a second straight game against a right-handed starting pitcher (Ross Stripling), after he was excluded from the lineup for the second game of Saturday's twin bill when righty Thomas Hatch took the hill for Toronto. Prior to sitting out, Lowe had gone 2-for-11 over his previous three starts, which actually raised his season-long batting average to .179. The rookie looks as though he could be moving into more of a part-time role in favor of the righty-hitting Harold Ramirez, who is starting for the eighth game in a row.
JULY 3, 2022•ROTOWIRE
