VIDAL BRUJÁN NEWS

Rays report: Brandon Lowe activated, Vidal Brujan optioned Slugging second baseman has been sidelined since being hit by a pitch Aug. 26 in Boston.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 • TAMPABAY.COM

Optioned to Triple-A Brujan was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Impact Brujan lost out on regular playing time in late June and early July, and his demotion should allow him to see more regular at-bats as he continues to work on developing. The 24-year-old has appeared in 46 games with the Rays to begin the year and has slashed .167/.230/.246 with two homers, 15 RBI, 11 runs and four stolen bases. Taylor Walls should serve as the primary second baseman until Brandon Lowe (back) is cleared to return.

JULY 9, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Loses hold of regular role Brujan remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Brujan 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

Swipes fourth bag Brujan went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 4-1 loss in Toronto.

Impact Brujan singled and stole second base in the seventh. He is now 4-for-9 on stolen base attempts on the season. The 24-year-old continues to struggle at the plate and finished June with a .182/.247/.299 in 85 plate appearances.

JULY 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Goes to bench Tuesday Brujan is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact With Wander Franco recently making his return from the 10-day injured list, the Rays no longer have regular spots in the infield available for both Brujan and Taylor Walls. Brujan and Walls are thus likely to share time moving forward, with the latter getting the nod at the keystone in the series opener.

JUNE 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Production improving Brujan went 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Pirates.

Impact Brujan delivered a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. He then walked in the final frame before coming around to score the game-winning run on a base hit by Isaac Paredes. Brujan will find it more difficult to get regular playing time with Wander Franco (quadriceps) expected back Sunday, but he has seemingly started to find his footing at the big-league level by collecting six hits in his last 24 at-bats with a home run, five RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base.

JUNE 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Grabs third steal Brujan went 0-for-2 with a run scored and his third stolen base of the season in Friday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Pirates.

Impact Jonathan Arenda got the start at second base, but Brujan pinch hit for him in the sixth inning and stayed at the keystone, eventually stealing third base in the 10th inning as the phantom runner before coming home with the winning run on a Harold Ramirez single. Brujan has been seeing consistent playing time in June due to numerous injuries around the diamond for the Rays, but the 24-year-old hasn't done much with the opportunity, slashing .190/.224/.333 with two homers, two steals on five attempts, three runs and 10 RBI over 18 games.

JUNE 25, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rays' Ramirez delivers winning hit in 10th to beat Bucs 4-3

Harold Ramirez scored Vidal Brujan with a game-ending pinch-single in the 10th inning, lifting the Tampa Bay Rays over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3

JUNE 25, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Drives in three runs Wednesday Brujan went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.

Impact Brujan slugged a two-run homer off Jordan Montgomery in the second inning and knocked in another run on a groundout in the fourth. This was the first multi-RBI game of his career. Brujan has posted a brutal .165/.210/.261 slash line on the season but has been a bit better in June, hitting .197 (12-for-61) with his only two homers of the season, 10 RBI and a stolen base over 17 games.

JUNE 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Judge homers twice, Yankees come back to beat Rays 5-4

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 26th and 27th home runs, Jose Trevino delivered a two-run shot that put New York ahead in the eighth inning and the Yankees beat the Tampa...

JUNE 23, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Appears in leadoff spot Brujan went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Thursday against the Yankees.

Impact With Kevin Kiermaier (Achilles) day-to-day the Rays shuffled their lineup, which allowed Brujan to appear in the leadoff spot for the first time this season and the second time of his career. Despite getting regular playing time, Brujan has struggled to get going at the plate by hitting just .144 across 105 plate appearances on the campaign. Equally concerning is that he has struggled on the basepaths, managing only two stolen bases on six attempts.

JUNE 17, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rays report: Kevin Kiermaier not in lineup, Vidal Brujan leading off Tampa Bay looks to avoid being swept by the Yankees after a rough first two nights in New York.

JUNE 16, 2022 • TAMPABAY.COM

Hits bench Tuesday Brujan is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Brujan will give way to Isaac Paredes at the keystone after starting in each of the Rays' last six games while going 5-for-22 with a home run, a double, a stolen base and five RBI. Though the 24-year-old switch hitter is slowly starting to settle in at the plate, he's still maintaining a poor .157/.206/.236 slash line at the big-league level in 2022.

JUNE 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Pops first homer of year Brujan went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Twins.

Impact Getting the start in right field and batting fifth, Brujan ripped his first homer of the season to left in the seventh inning off Devin Smeltzer. The 24-year-old continues to see regular playing time in a utility role while Brandon Lowe (back) and Wander Franco (quadriceps) are on the shelf, but he hasn't exactly seized his opportunity -- Brujan has started 11 of the last 12 games but has only a .171/.225/.314 slash line to show for it.

JUNE 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Knocks in three Brujan went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI on Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Impact Brujan delivered an RBI double in the opening inning and followed that up by driving in another run on a single in the sixth frame. It was both Brujan's first multi-hit and multi-RBI performance of the season. Given that, it's unsurprising that he is hitting just .147/.205/.200 across 83 plate appearances on the campaign. Despite his struggles, Brujan has started 12 of the last 14 games.

JUNE 9, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Out of Sunday's lineup Brujan is not in Sunday's lineup against the White Sox.

Impact With Taylor Walls (calf) returning to action, the Rays aren't quite as short-handed as they had been for the past few days. Brujan is hitting .148 over his last 10 games.

JUNE 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kluber excels again at Globe Life Field as Rays beat Rangers

Corey Kluber excelled again at Globe Life Field, pitching six solid innings as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Texas Rangers 3-1

JUNE 2, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Struggling at plate Brujan went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's loss to the Rangers.

Impact Brujan reached base on multiple occasions for the first time in 15 starts this season. He's maintained a miserable .137/.196/.176 line across 56 plate appearances, and his inability to reach base has limited his ability to showcase his speed on the basepaths. Despite his struggles, Brujan has been in the lineup for 12 of 15 contests since May 14 thanks to the absence of Brandon Lowe (back).

MAY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Saturday Brujan isn't starting Saturday against the Yankees, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Brujan started in the last three games and went 2-for-9 with three strikeouts. Taylor Walls will take over at the keystone while Brett Phillips enters the lineup in right field Saturday.

MAY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Tuesday Brujan is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Wander Franco's (quadriceps) return from a two-game absence looks like it'll knock Brujan out of the lineup, as the Rays will roll out an infield of Ji-Man Choi, Taylor Walls, Isaac Paredes and Franco to begin a two-game series with Miami. Playing time will likely only be more difficult to come by for Brujan if Yandy Diaz (shoulder) -- who is on the bench Tuesday for the second game in a row -- is able to avoid a stint on the 10-day injured list.

MAY 24, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Heads to bench Brujan will sit Friday against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Brujan has been the primary beneficiary of Brandon Lowe's back injury, as he'd started five straight games prior to Friday's contest. He's done very little with his 30 plate appearances this season, hitting .111/.200/.185, but his 10.0 percent strikeout rate is encouraging and he's attempted three steals, albeit with only one successful robbery. Isaac Paredes will be the second baseman Friday.

MAY 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Records hit, caught stealing Brujan went 1-for-4 and was caught stealing Monday against the Tigers.

Impact Brujan should be locked into a consistent role at second base with Brandon Lowe (back) on the injured list. Brujan hit fifth Monday, and his lone knock was a single to lead off the seventh frame. Earlier in the contest, he had reached base on a fielder's choice and was caught attempting to steal for the second time this season. He's now just 1-for-3 on the basepaths, a concerning trend given that stolen bases are his primary path to fantasy value. Brujan has done little else of note with his playing time, posting just a .143/.182/.238 line across 22 plate appearances. On the positive side, he has maintained a 9.1 percent strikeout rate.

MAY 17, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Filling in for Brandon Lowe Brujan will start at second base and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Brujan will stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, with three of those starts coming at the keystone. Brandon Lowe should be the Rays' primary option at the keystone moving forward, but he may be dealing with a lingering injury at the moment, given that he'll be out of the lineup Monday for the second time in three days. If Lowe quickly moves past the injury, Brujan would still have a potential path to playing time in right field after Manuel Margot (hamstring) was placed on the injured list Sunday.

MAY 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Extra-inning hero Wednesday Brujan went 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Impact After going 0-for-3 in regulation, Brujan stepped up in the 10th for the Rays. The rookie ripped his first career extra-base hit into the left-field corner to bring home Kevin Kiermaier for the game-winning run, then swiped third and added an insurance tally on a Harold Ramirez single. Brujan has started two straight games since his promotion Tuesday, one in right field and one at second base, and while he may not have the bat to be an everyday player in the long run, if he can keep contributing with his speed and versatility, Tampa Bay will find playing time for him.

MAY 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Hitless in return Brujan went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Tuesday against the Angels.

Impact Brujan was recalled prior to Tuesday's game with Manuel Margot (hamstring) day-to-day. Brujan started in right field and hit eighth, though he later played third base and showcased the versatility that could help him pick up regular at-bats in the short term. He's spent the majority of his season with Triple-A Durham but is now hitless in six at-bats with the Rays.

MAY 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE