Tampa Bay Rays: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Rays Designate Austin Slater For Assignment

The Rays have designated veteran outfielder Austin Slater for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster goes to fellow outfielder Jonny DeLuca, who’s been reinstated from the injured list after missing nearly a month due to a hamstring strain.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Rays Reportedly Have Bold Stance on Trading Prospects

The Tampa Bay Rays are a team that many people are going to be keeping a close eye on ahead of the MLB trade deadline. They got off to a scorching hot start, improving to 34-15 on May 22 against the New York Yankees.

Drew Rasmussen News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 18

Rays' Drew Rasmussen Accomplishes Impressive Feat Over Three-Game Span

The Tampa Bay Rays might have gotten off to a great start to the season, but they have certainly hit a bit of a bump in the road of late. However, one of their players is in the middle of an incredible stretch. With the West Coast trip for the Rays finally concluded, the team did not perform as they would have liked.

Tampa Bay Rays News / DRaysBay / June 18

Rays Reacts Result: Looming lockout should mean a discount on trades

For this week’s Rays Reacts, we asked whether the threat of a lockout next season should equate to a discount on any player contracts that run through 2027.

College Baseball News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'College World Series winners' quiz

The College Baseball World Series dates back to 1947. How many of the champions can you name?

The 'Live-Ball Era strikeout leaders' quiz

The 'Single-season HR-leaders by team' quiz

The 'Last cycle by MLB team' quiz

Tarik Skubal News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 18

Don’t Count Rays Out of Potential Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the biggest surprises in the MLB this season, but after their incredible success early on, they have begun regressing to the mean.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest rookie seasons in MLB history

Not every all-timer has instant success at the next level. For many baseball players, it takes a few bumps in the road out of the gate before they ever reach stardom.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 17

Rays Have Two Position Players in Mix for Al All-Star Spots

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the MLB this season, crashing the American League playoff picture. Not expected to contend in 2026, the Rays are playing at an even higher level than they did in 2025.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 17

Rays Make Sense as Potential Landing Spot for Astros Slugger

As the Tampa Bay Rays continue with their West Coast trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team will be hoping to continue to perform well and be a contender as the summer heats up. So far, the Rays have been arguably the biggest surprise in baseball.

MLB News / DRaysBay / June 17

Short but not sweet: Rays 0, Dodgers 1

The Rays hoped to even the series after a tough one-run loss against the Dodgers last night. And they had their best on the mound to make it happen, as Drew Rasmussen took the ball for tonight’s game.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 16

Rays Wisely Seen as Best Landing Spot for Orioles Slugger

As the battle between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees continues in the American League East, the Rays will have to find ways to improve and keep up at the trade deadline. Even though Tampa Bay might not have had expectations of being a contender coming into the year, they are certainly proving to be one thus far.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 16

Rays Biggest Surprise This Season Shouldn’t Shock at All

The Tampa Bay Rays are among the teams that have exceeded expectations the most during the 2026 MLB regular season. Entering play on June 16, they have a 41-28 record, putting them 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East standings.

Tampa Bay Rays News / DRaysBay / June 16

Why a November ballot question is throwing Rays stadium plans into doubt

Over the spring, both the Tampa City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission approved a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Tampa Bay Rays that would provide close to $1 billion in public funds for a new Rays ballpark across from Raymond James Stadium.

MLB News / Yardbarker

Which 20 players have hit four home runs in an MLB game?

The only two things rarer in modern-day baseball than the four-homer game is the Triple Crown and the unassisted triple play. The former is, of course, done over an entire season, while there's a large level of lucky in the unassisted triple play.

Tampa Bay Rays News / DRaysBay / June 16

Tampa Bay Rays 2026 Minor League Roundup: Week 10

This was the 10th week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Monday, June 15th). According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 22-year old Caden Bodine remains the top hitter spot in the Rays system.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 16

Rays Should Have a Clear Gameplan Heading Toward MLB Trade Deadline

The Tampa Bay Rays are heading into the summer months playing well, but there is still a long season to go and work to do. Coming off a bit of a bad stretch for a couple of weeks, the Rays were able to bounce back a bit last week with a sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

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The 'NBA assist champions' quiz

The 'Game-winning-drives record by team' quiz

The 'Last cycle by MLB team' quiz

The 'Conn Smythe Trophy winners' quiz

Tampa Bay Rays News / DRaysBay / June 16

Tampa (native) beats Tampa Bay by himself: Rays 3, Dodgers 4

The Rays have not always had the best of luck when playing on ESPN. A West Coast trip to Chavez Ravine on ESPN? Well, I was not expecting a great night.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / June 15

Rays Rightfully Move Back into Top 5 of MLB Power Rankings

The Tampa Bay Rays have been off to a great start in the American League, but they have had some hiccups of late. Fortunately, this was a much better week than the last two for the franchise. There was certainly a bit of cause for concern for the Rays entering this week, following three out of their four series for the two weeks prior.

MLB News / Field Level Media / June 14

Rays avoid sweep with 5-run inning vs. Angels

Junior Caminero's 15th home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field, broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-3 in Anaheim, California on Sunday afternoon.

Griffin Jax News / Field Level Media / June 13

Griffin Jax, Rays aim to subdue suddenly ascending Angels

Right-hander Griffin Jax will continue to make the transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation Saturday when the Tampa Bay Rays face the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Chandler Simpson News / Just Baseball / June 13

Chandler Simpson’s True Value Remains Difficult to Assess

Through April 14, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson had a .407 average and a .910 OPS, recording hits in 15 of his first 16 games of the 2026 season.

Drew Rasmussen News / Yardbarker / June 11

Drew Rasmussen has been a dominant weapon in Rays rotation

His pitching efficiency and resiliency are two factors that have played a significant role in his ongoing prosperity.

The 'MLB 300-saves club' quiz

MLB News / Yardbarker / June 10

Top of Red Sox lineup sets new mark for single-game futility

Things have not been going well for the Boston Red Sox lineup this season, and the top of their lineup reached a new historic low on Wednesday afternoon.

Drew Rasmussen dominates as Rays finish sweep of Red Sox

Red Sox likely to recall Jake Bennett in bid to avert sweep vs. Rays

Red Sox prospect Henry Godbout undergoes surgery for broken left hand

Notable update emerges about the future of Red Sox executive Craig Breslow

The 'Gold Glove and Silver Slugger seasons' quiz

Drew Rasmussen News / Field Level Media / June 10

Drew Rasmussen dominates as Rays finish sweep of Red Sox

Drew Rasmussen struck out a career-high 13 batters over seven scoreless innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 7-5, series-sweeping win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon.

Tampa Bay Rays News / MLB Trade Rumors / June 8

Rays To Select Austin Slater

The Rays will select the contract of outfielder Austin Slater from Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Slater signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay late last month but is now headed to the major league club as the Rays gear up for a slate of left-handed pitchers.

Steven Matz News / MLB Trade Rumors / June 6