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With the start of the regular season just over two weeks away, the Tampa Bay Rays have started the painstaking process of trimming their roster down to the 26-men they’ll have on Opening Day.
The Rays had a team record 75 players in camp at onset of Spring Training — the maximum allowed by MLB, and had made no cuts prior to this week.
On Monday morning, the team announced that it has reassigned the following players:
- RHP Phoenix Sanders
- RHP Tyler Zombro
- C Blake Hunt
- OF Moises Gomez
- OF Garrett Whitley
- INF Xavier Edwards
- SS Greg Jones
- RHP Shane Baz
- SS Wander Franco
The list features several of the team’s top prospects, including the number one overall prospect in baseball, Wander Franco. However, the reassignment does not mean Franco, or the other reassigned player, won’t remain in camp with the team as Marc Topkin notes that those reassigned will still working in Port Charlotte and could still see some playing time in the remaining exhibition games left on the schedule.
Also reassigned by #Rays today in addition to Franco: Baz, Sanders, Zombro, Hunt, Gomez, Whitley, Edwards, Greg Jones. Will continue to workout here in Port Charlotte. Could still appear in some exhibitions
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 15, 2021
With those nine players being reassigned, the Rays have 66 players remaining on their Spring Training roster, meaning they’ll have 40 more players to trim before being ready for Opening Day on April 1st, when they’ll take on the Miami Marlins.