Rays Need To Make Tough Calls With Crowded Outfield: Who Will Go?

The Rays must cut two players from their crowded outfield as players return from injuries. What started as a thin roster has turned into a packed field.

"They've been huge. I don't know where we would be without their production," said manager Kevin Cash in a post game interview. 

The situation keeps shifting. Josh Lowe has returned after his oblique strain. Jake Mangum finishes rehab in Durham. Travis Jankowski and Jonny DeLuca will soon join the mix.

Christopher Morel adds complexity to the choices ahead. His stats since joining last summer tell a mixed story: a .195 average with six homers, but 105 strikeouts in 296 at-bats. Without minor-league options, he might slip away through waivers.

After a blazing start with three homers and a .373 average, Kameron Misner's bat has gone cold. Since April 24, he's hit just .143. Yet his glove work shines: He ranks among the top 25 in defensive runs saved.

DeLuca's return on June 6 stirs up new questions. Before a shoulder injury sidelined him, he'd hit .435 and stolen four bases in nine games as the starting centerfielder. His comeback puts Chandler Simpson's spot in doubt.

Three rookies, Misner, Mangum, and Simpson, stepped in when called upon. Along with Jankowski, they started 96 games through the first 53 matchups. Not one had been slated for opening day action.

Curtis Mead's bat has caught fire at just the wrong time. Eight straight games with hits, a .391 average, and three home runs make him too valuable to send down to Durham.

"His tools are really impressive, and we've got to find a way to bottle that up and get some consistency out of it," Cash said about Morel's situation.