St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero (7) runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals in the second inning at Tropicana Field. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Rays Infielder José Caballero Changes Jersey Number For Ha-Seong Kim

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Feb 4, 2025 1:41 PM ET

For the first time in franchise history, a Tampa Bay Rays player will sport No. 77 on the back of their jersey.

Infielder José Caballero has changed his number from No. 7 to No. 77, according to the team's official transaction log. That opened up No. 7 for infielder Ha-Seong Kim, who officially signed with the Rays on Monday.

Kim wore No. 7 throughout his entire four-year tenure with the San Diego Padres, plus his time with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korean Baseball Organization.

INF Ha-Seong Kim will wear number 7. INF José Caballero switches from number 7 to number 77. First wearer in team history. #Rays pic.twitter.com/dSr7hpdWqP
— MLB Jersey Numbers (@NumbersMLB) February 4, 2025

Caballero wore No. 76 when he made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2023. He then changed to No. 7 upon getting traded to Tampa Bay last winter.

Vidal Bruján was the previous Rays player to wear No. 7, holding onto the number from 2021 through 2023. Michael Perez, Logan Morrison, Daniel Nava, David DeJesus and Jeff Keppinger are the other players who have donned the number in Tampa Bay, with nobody claiming it until Keppinger in 2012.

Morrison is the most productive No. 7 in Rays history, posting a 3.4 WAR while wearing the jersey number, followed by Keppinger and his 2.6 WAR, then DeJesus and his 1.7 mark.

It may not take much for Kim to vault up that leaderboard, despite the fact that he will likely miss the first month of the season recovering from surgery on his right shoulder. If he doesn't exercise his opt-out for 2026, Kim would surely be expected to establish himself as the best No. 7 in Rays history.

Kim hit .233 with 11 home runs, 47 RBI, 22 stolen bases, a .700 OPS, two defensive runs saved and a 2.6 WAR with the Padres in 2024. That marked a step down from his 2023 campaign, when he hit .260 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 38 stolen bases, a .749 OPS, 16 defensive runs saved and a 5.8 WAR en route to a Gold Glove Award and a 14th-place finish in NL MVP voting.

Caballero, meanwhile, hit .227 with nine home runs, 44 RBI, 44 stolen bases, a .630 OPS, two defensive runs saved and a 1.6 WAR in 2024. He racked up 133 strikeouts in 139 games, drawing just 27 walks along the way.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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