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Randy Arozarena is returning to the Tampa Bay Rays' lineup for Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs, according to the team's official lineup card.
Arozarena did not start against the Cubs on either Tuesday or Wednesday due to right hamstring tightness, although he was available off the bench. The veteran pinch hit in both contests, but went 0-for-2 overall.
The 29-year-old is starting in left field and batting second Thursday. Now that Arozarena is back, Richie Palacios has been pushed back to the bench.
Arozarena's absence didn't hurt the Rays as much as it would have in past years, considering just how slow of a start he has gotten off to in 2024.
Through 66 appearances, Arozarena is batting .174 with eight home runs, 20 RBI, seven stolen bases, a .599 OPS and a -0.4 WAR. His batting average ranks dead last among all qualified players in MLB, and his OPS ranks 145th out of 150.
That is quite the departure from Arozarena's numbers over the past few years, starting with his star-making run in the 2020 postseason. From there, Arozarena won AL Rookie of the Year in 2021 and made the All-Star Game in 2023.
Between 2020 and 2023, Arozarena was a .264 hitter with an .801 OPS, averaging 24 home runs, 87 RBI, 27 stolen bases and a 3.8 WAR per 162 games.
Prior to this latest hamstring injury, it looked like Arozarena was starting to approach that level of production again. While he has recorded zero home runs and one RBI in June, he is batting a far more respectable .286 with an .802 since the start of the month.
Here is the Rays' full starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs:
1. Yandy Díaz, 1B
2. Randy Arozarena, LF
3. Brandon Lowe, 2B
4. Isaac Paredes, 3B
5. Ahmed Rosario, DH
6. Jose Siri, CF
7. José Caballero, SS
8. Jonny DeLuca, RF
9. Alex Jackson, C
SP: Taj Bradley, RHP
First pitch is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET.
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