Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Knocks in crucial runs Tuesday
Rotowire
Aranda went 1-for-3 with a two-run single in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Astros.
Aranda tied things up at 2-2 in the eighth inning on a single to right field that brought Kameron Misner and Jose Caballero home. Aranda is off to a sizzling start this season, and since the beginning of May he has slashed .327/.393/.455 with two home runs and 10 RBI over 61 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Sitting with lefty on hill
Rotowire
Aranda is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
After starting in each of the Rays' last eight games, the left-handed-hitting Aranda will take a seat while Tampa Bay faces a lefty starter (Colton Gordon) for the first time since May 9. Curtis Mead will step in at first base in place of Aranda, who owns an excellent .312/.396/.507 slash line on the season but has been far more effective against right-handed pitching (178 wRC+) than lefties (102 wRC+).
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Piling up hits
Rotowire
Aranda went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored Sunday against the Brewers.
Aranda continues to sit against most lefties but has crushed right-handed pitching consistently throughout the season. After Sunday's performance, he has a trio of three-hit games and four multi-hit efforts across seven starts in May. He has hit .481 with five RBI and four runs scored in that span.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Aranda is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
The lefty-hitting Aranda will head to the bench while the Phillies send southpaw Cristopher Sanchez to the mound Wednesday. Aranda isn't in a strict platoon at first base, though he's now sat in three of the Rays' last four matchups with lefties.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Homer, three hits in win
Rotowire
Aranda went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two walks in Sunday's 7-5 win over the Yankees.
Aranda crushed a 409-foot solo shot in the third inning and later chipped in a two-run single in the seventh. While his platoon role caps his overall upside, the 26-year-old has torched righties this season, slashing a remarkable .350/.430/.650 with five homers and 17 RBI over 93 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Idle against lefty
Rotowire
Aranda is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
The lefty-hitting Aranda will get the night off while the Royals send southpaw Noah Cameron to the hill Wednesday. Curtis Mead will check in for Aranda at first base.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Idle vs. southpaw
Rotowire
Aranda is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Aranda has four homers and a 1.098 OPS through 21 games this season, but he will take a seat Wednesday with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez set to toe the slab for Arizona. Curtis Mead will start at first base instead and bat fifth.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Walks off Yankees
Rotowire
Aranda went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run Saturday against the Yankees.
Aranda capped off a comeback for the Rays with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. He has hit well overall to begin the season and flashed a lot of power, tallying eight doubles and four home runs across 69 plate appearances, although most of that damage has come in the Rays' very hitter-friendly temporary home at George Steinbrenner Field. Aranda will likely remain in a strong-side platoon, but he did draw the start Friday with a lefty on the mound.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Grabbing seat versus lefty
Rotowire
Aranda is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Red Sox.
It's southpaw Sean Newcomb on the bump for the Red Sox, so the lefty-hitting Aranda will yield to the right-handed-batting Curtis Mead at first base. Aranda has been absent from the lineup all four times the Rays have faced a lefty this season.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Perfect at plate in loss
Rotowire
Aranda went 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two walks in Saturday's 5-4 loss to Atlanta.
Aranda was a force at the plate, reaching base in all five trips and driving in runs in the third, seventh and ninth innings. He's off to a scorching start, hitting .378 with two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored across 44 plate appearances. The 26-year-old boasts a 95.7 mph average exit velocity this season and has only been limited by a platoon role, logging just five plate appearances against left-handed pitching.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Two doubles in first start of 2025
Rotowire
Aranda went 2-for-3 with two doubles Saturday against the Rockies.
Aranda was on the bench for the Rays' opening contest of the season because a lefty was on the mound, but he hit cleanup Saturday while facing righty Antonio Senzatela. He accounted for the team's only two extra-base hits before being pinch-hit for in the seventh inning with a southpaw reliever on the mound. Aranda should receive his most consistent opportunity in the majors this season, though he'll likely be on the bench against nearly all left-handed pitching.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: On bench for Opening Day
Rotowire
Aranda is not in the lineup for Friday's opener against the Rockies.
The Rockies are sending left-hander Kyle Freeland to the bump, so it's not a surprise the lefty-hitting Aranda will begin the contest on the bench. He is a candidate to come in mid-game when the Rockies use a right-handed reliever, and the 26-year-old remains likely to start at first base or DH against most righties.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Sitting versus Skubal
Rotowire
Aranda is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Detroit.
The left-handed hitter has homered in three straight contests, but with southpaw ace Tarik Skubal on the bump for the Tigers in this one, Aranda will take a seat. Brandon Lowe will be at first base for the Rays in the series opener.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Homers again in win
Rotowire
Aranda went 2-for-3 with two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Aranda homered for the second straight contest, crushing a 414-foot blast off Yariel Rodriguez in the third inning. The 26-year-old has hit safely in eight of his past 10 games while going deep four times. On the season, he is hitting .248 with five long balls, 11 RBI and 19 runs scored across 117 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Pops fourth homer
Rotowire
Aranda went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Friday against the Blue Jays.
Aranda has started five straight games and 12 of the Rays' last 14 contests. He's played primarily at first base but has also made three starts at second base-- including Friday night. Since Aranda has gotten regular playing time, he's gone 12-for-44 with three home runs, four RBI and seven runs scored while striking out only 14 percent of the time.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Getting regular look in lineup
Rotowire
Aranda went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Guardians.
Aranda has been in the lineup for seven of the Rays' last eight games, including five appearances at first base. In that limited sample, he's gone 7-for-25 with two homers, three RBI, three doubles and five runs scored. With Tampa Bay out of the playoff picture, the team could opt to continue giving Aranda run to evaluate him for a potentially expanded role in 2025.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Swats second homer
Rotowire
Aranda went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Phillies.
The 26-year-old took Zack Wheeler deep in the sixth inning, briefly tying the game at 2-2 and giving Aranda his second homer of the season in 85 plate appearances. Aranda may be moving into a regular role for the Rays -- he's started five of the last six games, four at first base and one at second base, and gone 5-for-18 (.278) over that stretch with three doubles, a homer and a 3:4 BB:K. Tampa Bay has fallen seven games off the pace in the battle for the final wild-card spot in the AL with 16 games left to play, so the team is likely to continue giving a long look to unproven players like Aranda to evaluate their place in the franchise's future plans.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Makes second start since promotion
Rotowire
Aranda went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Twins.
Aranda was in the lineup at first base and made his second start in five games since being recalled. So long as the Rays' infield remains healthy, it appears that Aranda will struggle to get consistent playing time. He's gone 2-for-10 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored since being recalled.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Rejoins big club
Rotowire
The Rays recalled Aranda from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
The 26-year-old was activated off Durham's injured list last week after missing two months due to an oblique strain, and he's now returning to the big leagues. Aranda has seen action in 18 MLB games this season and has a .607 OPS in 52 plate appearances, though he's crushed the ball at Triple-A since returning from the injury, going 10-for-23 with four homers in six games.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Heads to minor-league IL
Rotowire
Triple-A Durham placed Aranda on its 7-day injured list Friday with an oblique strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Aranda is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks while recovering from the oblique injury, meaning he can safely be ruled out through the All-Star break. The 26-year-old has struggled to a .189 average with three home runs, 10 RBI and 13 runs scored in 26 games with Durham this season.
