The Tampa Bay Rays have added two of their top prospects, OF Desmond Jennings and RHP Jeremy Hellickson, to their 40-man roster.
The move was expected, as the deadline is Friday to set their 40-man, and both Jennings (the Rays Minor League Player of the Year) and Hellickson (Rays Minor League Pitcher of the Year) are expected to be key pieces in the Rays future.
The Rays are also adding LHP Alex Torres (acquired from the Angels in the Scott Kazmir trade) to the 40-man, and reinstated 1B Carlos Pena from the 60-day disabled list to complete the roster.
Both Jennings and Hellickson helped lead Triple-A Durham Bulls win the International League title and the Triple-A National Championship. Jennings hit .318 with 11 homers and 52 steals for Durham and Double-A Montgomery, and has said being healthy for the first time in a few years made a big difference.
Hellickson, 22, also made the most of his promotion to Durham, going 6-1 in nine starts.
-- JOE SMITH
Turns out, Tampa Bay Rays OF Fernando Perez's attempt at a diving catch in spring training last season cost him more than he originally thought.
Perez, 26, dislocated his left wrist on that play on May 10 in Port Charlotte, which led to surgery and him missing most of the season before joining the Rays in September. But Perez said his left shoulder injury (to his labrum), which he had surgically-repaired in October, likely occurred on the same play.
So how come he didn't know until later? Perez said doctors told him that with a labrum tear, if you have long periods of inactivity, it can feel like there is no injury, and the pain may not be as noticeable until you become more active. It was only when Perez was doing serious baseball activities in the season's final couple months where he realized something was wrong.
The speedy switch-hitter, who had a good chance to crack the 2009 Opening Day roster until he injured that wrist, batted .206 in 18 games.
“When I began working out again, we all assumed the pain was referred pain from my wrist,” Perez wrote in an email to the Times. “But once I got some confidence that I wasn’t injured, the more ambitious plays I attempted in the outfield told me I had something I ought to get checked out.”
Perez said while surgery wasn’t ideal, it was necessary, and he expects to make a full recovery by spring training. He said he recently got out of his sling and will rehab in New York until the new year.
-- JOE SMITH
Durham Bulls manager Charlie Montoyo has won the Mike Coolbaugh Award, given to an individual who has "shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field."
Montoyo will be honored, along with Minor League Baseball's four other major award winners during the Winter Meetings Dec 7-10 in Indianapolis. Montoyo, a manager in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system for the past 13 seasons, led the Bulls to their third straight Southern Division crown on their way to the International League title. Durham also won the Triple-A National Championship.
“I am very humbled and honored to win this award because of what he represents,” Montoyo said.
“Charlie has been a hard working, loyal staff member for the Rays since 1996,” said Rays Director of Minor League Operations Mitch Lukevics. “He is a dedicated teacher of our game with a
passion to help players both on and off the field. Charlie exemplifies everything that the Mike Coolbaugh
Award stands for. We are proud and thrilled that he is receiving this award.”
-- JOE SMITH
With trade rumors already circulating about All-Star leftfielder Carl Crawford, now there's an apparently false, unattributed report from the NY Baseball Digest that suggests Crawford wants out of Tampa Bay.
The NY Baseball Digest report, citing an unnamed source, stated that Crawford is upset with the Rays over picking up his 2010 option and allegedly backing out of an agreement to negotiate his potential long-term deal.
The report just doesn't seem to have any merit, as it doesn't match up with what both sides have been saying all along (and as recently as this week).
Crawford's agent, Brian Peters, said earlier this week that they were still looking forward to working on a potential-long term deal with the Rays. That's exactly what Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said when they picked up Crawford's $10 million option on Monday, that both sides were "very interested."
Whether the two sides can work out a deal remains to be seen. But Crawford has shown his interest, and there have been no indications of any animosity from either side.
The report is here..... http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=17698.
That doesn't jibe with what Crawford said in late September, when he expressed interest in working out a long-term deal.
" I hope we can get something done, but if not I'll just go into next season, do what I have to do and try to help the team win and go from there," Crawford said.
- JOE SMITH
The awards keep rolling in for Rays third baseman Evan Longoria.
Two days after winning his first Gold Glove, Longoria on Thursday earned the Silver Slugger Award, given annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American and National League. It was voted on by managers and coaches, who couldn't vote for their own players.
Longoria led AL third basemen with 33 homers and 113 RBI, and is now the youngest third baseman to win both awards in either league since the Silver Slugger Award began in 1980. Longoria is also the second Ray to win a Silver Slugger, with Carlos Pena getting one in 2007.
- JOE SMITH
Catcher Michel Hernandez has signed a minor league deal with the Orioles, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Hernandez, 31, spent most of the last two seasons in the Rays organization after getting acquired in Aug 2008. He ended up making the Rays postseason roster during their World Series run in 2008, and was solid in a backup role last season when Shawn Riggans spent most of the year on the disabled list.
Hernandez hit .242 with a homer and 12 RBI in 35 games in 2009, and was 9-for-46 in 55 games for Triple-A Durham. With the Rays 40-man roster stacked with catchers, Hernandez would have probably had a tough time getting a lot of playing time with Tampa Bay.
With the Orioles, Hernandez can go into spring training and try to battle for the backup job behind Matt Wieters.
-- JOE SMITH
As expected, C Gregg Zaun filed for free agency Wednesday.
But the 15-year-veteran has said he'd love to return to the Rays, who are at the top of his list. Zaun played in 34 games for Tampa Bay after getting acquired from the Orioles, and was praised for both his performance at the plate (especially against right-handers) and his professionalism.
The Rays declined to pick up Zaun's $2 million option for 2010 on Monday, but executive VP Andrew Friedman said that was not, by any means, indicative of their future plans, it's just that early November is too early to commit right now.
Zaun, who lives in Palm Harbor, told the Times Monday night he'll still be in contact with the Rays this winter, and see if they want to work something out.
- JOE SMITH