The Rays optioned Aranda to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
With Opening Day right around the corner Thursday, Aranda is one of the final major-league roster cut-downs for the Rays this spring. The 24-year-old batted .192 with one homer, five RBI and two runs scored over 26 at-bats during spring training, failing to impress enough to crack the big-league roster. Considering his positional flexibility and his prior experience in the MLB from last season, Aranda seems like a top candidate to earn a call-up early this year.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Flashing power, on-base ability
Rotowire
Aranda has three extra-base hits and three walks across 17 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action.
Aranda is in competition for a bench spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster, and he's made a solid case with his performance this spring. In addition to a .924 OPS, he's struck out only four times. Aranda struggled in limited playing time during his MLB debut in 2022, posting a .192/.276/.321 line across 87 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Losing playing time to Walls
Rotowire
Aranda is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Guardians, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
Aranda will sit in favor of Taylor Walls for the second game in a row. While Aranda has a strong track record as a hitter in the minors, his defense is below average, so he needs to be hitting to justify getting at-bats. He is slashing .100/.273/.259 over the last 10 games.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Aranda is not in Sunday's lineup against the Blue Jays.
Aranda has been playing regularly over the last week, hitting .125 with a .276 OBP and one home run in 24 at-bats over that stretch. Taylor Walls is starting at second base and hitting ninth.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Homers in win
Rotowire
Aranda went 2-for-4 with one homer, one RBI and three runs scored in Thursday's 10-5 victory over the Blue Jays.
Aranda sparked the Rays offense with a leadoff home run off Jose Berrios in the first inning and came around to score again in the second on a Wander Franco single. The third-baseman reached base three times in the contest, scoring a run on each occasion. It was a nice game for Aranda, who was held hitless in the previous three-game series against the Astros. The promising rookie is hitting a solid .278 with two homers and six RBI through 22 games this season, while also drawing six walks.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Day off Wednesday
Rotowire
Aranda isn't starting Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
Aranda started the last four games and went 4-for-13 with a homer, two runs, two RBI, a walk and five strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Isaac Paredes takes over at the keystone and bats eighth.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Launches first career homer
Rotowire
Aranda went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader split with the Blue Jays.
He took Alek Manoah deep in the seventh inning for his first career big-league homer, briefly giving the Rays a 2-1 lead before the bullpen imploded in the bottom of the frame on the way to a 7-2 loss. Aranda has started four straight games, getting the nod at first base in the matinee and going 1-for-4 before sliding over to second base for the nightcap. With Brandon Lowe (back) on the IL once again, the 24-year-old could see a significant role in the short term. Aranda has hit safely in six straight appearances, and since rejoining the big-league roster in September, he's batting .353 (6-for-17) with two doubles and Tuesday's homer.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Awarded second straight start
Rotowire
Aranda will start at second base and bat seventh in Monday's game at Toronto, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested over the weekend that Aranda might pick up more playing time, and the skipper will stay true to his word while the rookie receives his second start in a row. In a limited sample of 26 plate appearances in the majors this season, Aranda has produced a .462 on-base percentage. He'll need to continue to rack up walks and make contact at a high clip to ensure he maintains steady at-bats.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Up for September
Rotowire
The Rays recalled Aranda from Triple-A Durham on Thursday.
Aranda, 24, is one of Tampa Bay's best hitting prospects, having amassed a .319/.394/.521 slash line this year at Triple-A. He has 20-plus starts at first base, second base and third base, while also getting a handful of starts at designated hitter and in left field. With Brandon Lowe and Isaac Paredes banged up, Aranda may be able to get a few starts per week down the stretch.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Sent down Saturday
Rotowire
Aranda was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Aranda was called up by the Rays on July 10 and went 4-for-13 with a double, a run, an RBI and three strikeouts over five games during his stint with the major-league club. However, he'll head back to the minors after Brandon Lowe (back) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Saturday. Aranda is expected to get playing time in the outfield in addition to his infield work with the Triple-A club.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Tallies pair of hits
Rotowire
Aranda went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday against the Red Sox.
Aranda drew his first start since being recalled Sunday, and he played second base while hitting fourth. The Rays have a lot of positional flexibility along their infield, but Aranda should be able to find regular playing time between second base and shortstop in the short term with both Wander Franco (wrist) and Brandon Lowe (back) sidelined. Once Lowe is activated -- which could come as early as Friday -- Aranda will vie for playing time at shortstop with Yu Chang and Taylor Walls. Aranda is a well-regarded prospect, and he tallied the second RBI of his career with a base knock in the fifth inning Monday.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Headed back to Tampa
Rotowire
The Rays plan to call up Aranda from Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays are in need of infield depth with Wander Franco (wrist) expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks. Aranda was in the majors for a very brief stretch in late June, though he should have a better chance to stick this time around. A well-regarded prospect, Aranda has maintained a .330/.403/.546 line with 13 home runs and four stolen bases across 325 plate appearances with Triple-A Durham this season.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Returned to minors
Rotowire
Tampa Bay optioned Aranda to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
The 24-year-old's first stint in the big leagues lasted only five days, and Aranda appeared in two games over that stretch, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Though Aranda doesn't have much left to prove in the minors, the Rays want him to play on an everyday basis, and that opportunity won't be afforded to him in Tampa Bay after shortstop Wander Franco (quadriceps) was cleared to return from the 10-day injured list Sunday.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Optioned Sunday
Rotowire
Aranda was optioned to minor-league camp Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Aranda was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason after racking up 322 plate appearances at Double-A Montgomery in 2021. He experienced plenty of success there, delivering a .325/.410/.540 line with 10 home runs and three stolen bases. Aranda could begin the season at Triple-A, though it's unclear where he'd fit on the big-league roster without injuries at any point in 2022.
