Rays reinstate first baseman Ji-Man Choi from 10-day IL

The Rays have reinstated first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the 10-day injured list, with utilityman Mike Brosseau heading down to Triple-A as the corresponding move. Choi will end up missing just beyond the 10-day minimum, as his IL placement for a left groin strain was retroactive to June 3.

It has been an injury-plagued year for Choi, who didn’t make his season debut until mid-May due to arthroscopic knee surgery. When he has played, however, Choi has been swinging an impressive bat — he has hit .304/.448/.522 with two home runs over the small sample size of 58 plate appearances.  he left-handed hitting Choi will resume his normal role as Tampa Bay’s top option at first base against righty pitching, with Yandy Diaz forming the other half of the platoon.

Brosseau had somewhat quietly been a very productive player over his first two MLB seasons, hitting .284/.343/.500 in 240 PA in 2019-20 and playing all over the field for the Rays. This year, however, Brosseau wasn’t offering much beyond defensive versatility, with only a .184/.259/.336 slash line in 139 PA. There is little doubt Brosseau will find himself back in the big leagues at some point this season, and a stint in Triple-A might be just what he needs to get on track at the plate.