Rays' Isaac Paredes: Chance to claim third base job
Rotowire
Yandy Diaz is expected to play primarily at first base in 2023, leaving Paredes with an opportunity to be the team's primary third baseman, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
Though the Rays continue to boast impressive infield depth in both the majors and upper levels of the minors, the departure of Ji-Man Choi relieved some of the playing time jam. Paredes will seek to take advantage of the opportunity after posting 20 home runs, 48 runs scored and 45 RBI across 381 plate appearances with the Rays last season. However, he hasn't acquitted himself particularly well this spring, as he has gone only 5-for-26 with no extra-base hits combined between the World Baseball Classic and spring training contests.
Paredes will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
He'll stick in the lineup for the 11th time in 14 games while Yandy Diaz remains bothered by a sore left shoulder, an injury he aggravated in his return from an eight-game absence in Friday's win over the Astros. The Rays seem to be viewing Diaz as day-to-day as the team begins its final series of the regular season, so Paredes' hold on an everyday role could be tenuous.
Paredes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday against the Astros.
Paredes took Lance McCullers yard in the seventh inning to tally his 20th homer of the season. He's held a fairly regular role in the Rays' lineup since Brandon Lowe (back) has been sidelined, maintaining a .318 average with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored across his last nine starts spanning to Sept. 13. Though he's struggled to hit for a decent average, Paredes has a 127 wRC+ and .338 wOBA across 343 plate appearances on the campaign.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Smacks 19th homer
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Paredes went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Paredes has become a regular in the Rays' lineup once again due to the absence of Brandon Lowe (back). He's collected at least one hit in each of his last three starts, and Thursday's performance was highlighted by a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning and an RBI single two frames later. Paredes now has 19 homers on the season while hitting .219/.302/.465 across 325 plate appearances.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Back on bench
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Paredes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Paredes will take a seat after going 0-for-10 with a walk and six strikeouts while starting each of the past three contests. Though his ability to play three infield spots creates multiple pathways to playing time, the righty-hitting Paredes may settle into more of a short-side platoon role moving forward after the Rays reinstated the lefty-hitting Brandon Lowe (triceps/elbow) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Absent from Saturday's lineup
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Paredes isn't starting Saturday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Paredes returned to the lineup Friday against the Yankees but will head to the bench for the third time in the last four games. Jonathan Aranda will take over at the keystone and bat third.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Returns to action Friday
Rotowire
Paredes (undisclosed) is starting at second base and batting seventh Friday against the Yankees, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
Paredes has been held out of the lineup the past two games but will rejoin the starting nine Friday. The 23-year-old finished August with a .235/.338/.471 slash line, four home runs, 11 RBI and a 10:10 BB:K in 25 contests.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Sitting again Wednesday
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Paredes (undisclosed) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Paredes should have a clear path to a full-time role in the infield for at least the next week after Brandon Lowe (triceps) was placed on the injured list Wednesday, but he'll first have to overcome his own injury. The 23-year-old will be on the bench for a second straight contest due to the unspecified issue, which caused him to be scratched ahead of Tuesday's 7-2 win.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Scratched from Tuesday's lineup
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Paredes was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the Marlins.
The 23-year-old was initially penciled in to start at first base Tuesday, but he was replaced by Christian Bethancourt when Tampa Bay released a revised starting nine. It's unclear if Paredes is dealing with an injury or if manager Kevin Cash simply decided on a late lineup change.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Goes deep twice; draws three walks
Rotowire
Paredes went 2-for-2 with two home runs, three RBI and three walks in Sunday's 12-4 win over the Red Sox.
Paredes got the scoring started with a solo shot in the second inning, followed by a two-run homer in the fourth, both against starter Nick Pivetta. The rookie infielder has gone deep four times in his last six appearances after snapping a 21-game homerless drought. He's now slashing .225/.306/.484 with 18 home runs, 40 RBI and a 48:29 K:BB through 291 plate appearances this season.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Slugs 16th homer
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Paredes went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer Thursday against the Angels.
After sitting Wednesday, Paredes returned to the lineup to hit fifth in the order and play second base with a lefty on the mound. He's started six of the team's last seven games, though four have come against southpaws. He took advantage of his opportunity Thursday, slugging his 16th homer of the season and second in his last three games. In the seven-game stretch during which his playing time has ticked up, Paredes is hitting .227/.320/.591 with three RBI and four runs scored.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Five-game starting run ends
Rotowire
Paredes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
The righty-hitting Paredes started in each of the previous five games, but three came with the opposition bringing lefties to the hill. Paredes' ability to play first base, third base and second base will allow him to receive occasional opportunities against right-handed pitching, but Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Taylor Walls and Brandon Lowe are the primary candidates to fill out the four infield spots in those matchups.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Two hits including homer
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Paredes went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a walk in Tuesday's 11-1 win over the Angels.
Paredes singled in the second inning before taking Jose Suarez deep for a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth. He later added a walk and came around to score again in the seventh frame. The long ball was the 23-year-old's 15th of the year and first since July 26. Paredes is now batting .218 with a home run, six RBI and eight runs over 55 at-bats in August.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Fills in for Ji-Man Choi on Monday
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Paredes will start at first base and bat third in Monday's game against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
He'll pick up his fourth consecutive start Monday after going 2-for-11 with two doubles and a run over the final three contests of the Rays' weekend series with the Royals. The righty-hitting Paredes should be a fixture in the lineup against southpaws moving forward, but his opportunities versus same-handed pitching will likely be more sporadic. He'll be spelling the lefty-hitting Ji-Man Choi in the lineup Monday with southpaw Tucker Davidson taking the hill for Anaheim.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Losing work versus righties
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Paredes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The righty-hitting Paredes should be a fixture in the Tampa Bay lineup versus lefty pitching moving forward, but his opportunities against right-handers are expected to take a hit after Tampa Bay brought Harold Ramirez back from the injured list Tuesday. Paredes is on the bench Wednesday for the third time in the past six contests.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: Not starting Tuesday
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Paredes is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Paredes will take a seat for the second time in four games while Ji-Man Choi and Brandon Lowe pick up starts at first base and second base, respectively, closing off Paredes' primary paths to playing time. Though he closed the weekend with a pair of two-hit games, Paredes has generally struggled since the All-Star break, producing a .208/.291/.333 slash line with just one home run in 13 games.
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Rays' Isaac Paredes: On bench Saturday
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Paredes isn't starting Saturday against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Paredes is getting a day off after he went 3-for-16 with a solo home run, a walk and four strikeouts over the last four games. Ji-Man Choi is starting at first base while Randy Arozarena serves as the designated hitter.
