Tampa Bay Rays

Wander Franco went 2-for-4 with a single and solo homer against the Tigers on Thursday. Tampa Bay ultimately defeated Detroit by a score of 4-0.

Fantasy Impact: Franco wasted no time showing off the tools that make him one of baseball's brightest up-and-coming stars. He remains a staple in the Tampa Bay lineup and is due for a highly successful fantasy baseball season.

Jose Siri went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and two strikeouts against the Tigers on Thursday. Tampa Bay ultimately defeated Detroit by a score of 4-0.

Fantasy Impact: Siri has produced markedly better results against righties than lefties, so Thursday's performance should earn him a spot in the starting lineup against Spencer Turnbull on Saturday. The 27-year-old outfielder is a speed threat on the basepaths and perhaps has added some power to his game, too.

Shane McClanahan allowed just one walk and four hits while tossing six shutout innings against the Tigers on Thursday. He also struck out six batters and earned the win as Tampa Bay ultimately defeated Detroit by a score of 4-0.

Fantasy Impact: McClanahan had an amazing 2022 season, and his 2023 campaign is off to an equally impressive start. The 25-year-old southpaw should be viewed as a potential Cy Young candidate and remains a top pitching option in fantasy baseball.

The Tampa Bay Rays have traded outfielder Grant Witherspoon to the Detroit Tigers. (Source: Evan Petzold on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Rays will receive cash considerations in exchange for the 26-year-old outfielder. Witherspoon split the 2022 season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, hitting .241 with 10 homers, five steals, and a .786 OPS across 66 games at Triple-A. Witherspoon has displayed a solid combination of power and speed in the minors and should get a look with the Tigers at some point this season.

Harold Ramirez was removed from Wednesday's game early after getting hit on the hand by a pitch. (Source: Ryan Bass on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: There is no further word on Ramirez's status, but it should be provided soon by Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired pitcher Victor Castaneda from the Milwaukee Brewers as the player to be named later from a Nov. 18 trade between the two clubs. (Source: Adam McCalvy on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Rays send reliever Javy Guerra to the Brewers early this winter and have now acquired Castaneda to complete the swap. The 24-year-old spent the bulk of the 2022 season at Double-A, pitching to a solid 3.97 ERA across 23 appearances (22 starts). He struggled to a 5.14 ERA in three starts and 14 innings at Triple-A in 2022 but also pitched to a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings at that level in the 2021 campaign.

Taylor Walls could make his spring debut on March 16 as he recovers from a right oblique strain. (Source: MLB.com)

Fantasy Impact: The oblique injury has sidelined Walls for the entirety of spring training to this point but it sounds like his return is imminent. The 26-year-old shortstop is coming off a disastrous 2022 season that saw him hit just .172 with eight home runs, 10 steals, and a .553 OPS across 466 trips to the plate. Walls has a strong minor-league track record but has yet to put it together at the plate in 642 big-league plate appearances over the last two seasons.

Calvin Faucher (oblique) threw live batting practice on Wednesday and is nearing a return to game action. (Source: MLB.com)

Fantasy Impact: Faucher has dealt with oblique issues throughout spring training, but "looked really good" according to manager Kevin Cash. He should be ready for the start of the season if all goes well and he doesn't suffer any setbacks.

Yandy Diaz was forced to leave Friday's game early after getting hit by a pitch in the hand/wrist area.

Fantasy Impact: Diaz had just returned to the lineup after dealing with a hip issue, and now has another issue to deal with. More information should come soon, but hopefully, his removal from the game was a precaution.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shawn Armstrong is without a timetable to return as he deals with a neck injury. (Source: MLB.com)

Fantasy Impact: The neck ailment has kept Armstrong off the field to this point in the spring and Rays manager Kevin Cash said it's highly unlikely he'll be ready to go for Opening Day. Cash also noted he doesn't believe anything has been "defined" with what is going on with the neck injury. Armstrong turned in a 4.38 ERA and 24.5% K% across 50 appearances in 2022, locking up two saves in the process.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters that he is sure that Tyler Glasnow will begin the regular season on the IL due to an oblique injury sustained Monday. (Source: Marc Topkin on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The results of Glasnow's MRI are still unknown, but Cash spoke to the 29-year-old and said, "I talked to him this morning - typical soreness, bothers him to sneeze, cough, whatever." Fantasy managers need to drop Glasnow in their rankings; the MRI results will determine how far he falls.

The Rays are finalizing a deal to sign Ben Gamel to a minor-league deal, pending a physical. (Source: Marc Topkin on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Gamel hit .232 across 423 at-bats last season with the Pirates. He'll likely look to compete for one of the last bench/reserve spots for Tampa Bay throughout spring training.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jason Adam has won his arbitration case with the team. (Source: Marc Topkin on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Adam was awarded his $1.775 million request over the $1.55 million filing by the Rays following a breakout 2022 season. The right-hander posted a 5.91 ERA with the Cubs in 2021 but dominated to the tune of a 1.56 ERA and 31.6% K% across 67 appearances with the Rays last season. He also recorded eight saves but isn't likely in line for many save opportunities in 2023 with a healthy Pete Fairbanks back in the Rays' bullpen.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed relief pitcher Kyle Crick to a minor-league deal. (Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Crick has put in solid work in his big-league tenure with a quality 3.56 ERA across 194 appearances, all coming as a reliever. He spent the 2022 season with the White Sox where he pitched to a 4.02 ERA and 28.8% K% across 14 appearances and 15 2/3 innings pitched.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed infielder Daniel Robertson to a minor-league deal. (Source: Marc Tompkin on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Robertson returns to the organization that he played with from 2017-2019. He enjoyed a career year in 2018 when he hit .262 with nine home runs and two stolen bases across 88 games played, good for a 128 wRC+. He's been unable to come close to that success since and spent the 2022 season at the Triple-A level.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed reliever Pete Fairbanks to a three-year contract extension. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The deal is worth $12 million for the fire-balling right-hander. Injuries limited Fairbanks to just 24 outings in 2022, but he still managed eight saves while dominating to the tune of a 1.13 ERA and 43.7% K% in that time. Fairbanks should see a healthy amount of save opportunities at the back end of the Rays' bullpen and provides more than enough strikeout upside to warrant serious consideration on draft day.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed pitcher Jeffrey Springs to a four-year contract extension. (Source: Marc Topkin on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The pact is worth $31 million as Springs locks in some mid-term security at the age of 30. The left-hander broke out with a dominant 2022 campaign, turning in a 2.46 ERA/3.04 FIP and a 20.6% K-BB% across 33 appearances, 25 of which were starts. Springs' 135 1/3 innings pitched a season ago were more than his previous four seasons combined, all of which featured him as a reliever. Springs' has launched himself into an excellent fantasy starter and should be a serious target on draft day with an ADP trending around 178.

J.P. Feyereisen is being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers after being DFA’d by the Tampa Bay Rays. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Feyereisen is expected to miss most of 2023 but will be under team control through 2026. The Dodgers have an excellent track record of developing relievers like this. He will be a name to watch in 2024.

Brooks Raley was traded from Tampa Bay to the New York Mets in exchange for Keyshawn Askew. (Source: Mets on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Raley was dominant in 53.2 innings last season with the Rays, posting a 2.68 ERA with 61 strikeouts. Raley relies on a nasty slider and induces very weak contact. He did earn six saves last season but is unlikely to see save chances in New York.

Ryan Yarbrough has been designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays. (Source: Jon Morosi on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Rays tried to trade Yarbrough before the deadline to the deadline on Tuesday, but were unable to and opted to designate him for assignment. He pitched 80 innings with the Rays in 2022 and had a 4.50 ERA and 6.86 K/9.