After R.J. Anderson's public plea for Matt Joyce, the Rays have obliged by recalling the outfielder from Triple-A Durham. Not surprisingly, the addition of Joyce comes at the expense of Dioner Navarro. With Kelly Shoppach and John Jaso as superior offensive players, Navarro's days have been numbered for a while. We wish Navi the best and will welcome him back in September.
As for Joyce, R.J. did a pretty good job of laying out the case for the 25-year-old outfielder. Joyce has hit .316/.460/.556 in the minor leagues and will be a welcomed addition to the Rays lineup. Unfortunately, his playing time may come at the expense of Carl Crawford -at least in the interim. CC left today's game with shoulder soreness. We don't know the extent of CC's injury, and hope it's not serious.
HE IS FREE!