Notes: Meadows goes deep; a walk-off win

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- When he reported to Spring Training, Austin Meadows said he lost 10-15 pounds, rediscovered his athleticism and felt more like the 2019 All-Star version of himself. He looked that way, too, in the Rays’ Grapefruit League opener on Sunday.

Meadows had the biggest hit among Tampa Bay’s starting position players, ripping a two-run homer out to right-center field off Atlanta pitcher Connor Johnstone in the second inning of the Rays’ 9-7 win over the Braves in seven innings at Charlotte Sports Park.

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“That's encouraging, just the competitive mode of us being able to come out early, especially the first game, and put as many barrels on the ball as we did,” Meadows said. “It's definitely encouraging, so it was good to see.”

Nobody’s going to jump to any conclusions or make grand proclamations after one Spring Training game, of course. But Meadows’ blast off the boardwalk did reinforce the idea that, when healthy, he can turn on pitches and hit them with authority the way he did when he slugged 33 homers in 2019.

“Regardless of the result, just trying to get barrels on the ball early -- that's kind of the mindset in Spring Training,” Meadows said. “Not really worrying about results, but feeling good in the box and hitting the ball hard. And I was able to do that today.”

Meadows wasn’t the only one. To nobody’s surprise, postseason star Randy Arozarena -- serenaded by “Happy Birthday” as he walked up to the plate on the day he turned 26 -- began his Spring Training season with a hard single up the middle. Just picking up where he left off, right?

“I knew it. Everybody knew that,” shortstop Willy Adames said. “That was easy to predict.”

Adames and Manuel Margot began Tampa Bay’s four-run second inning with back-to-back hard-hit doubles, Adames scoring on Margot’s line drive to left off right-hander Kyle Wright. Catcher Kevan Smith drove in Margot with a single through the drawn-in infield, then Meadows barreled a ball out to right-center. Mike Brosseau got in on the action in the third inning, launching a homer to left off left-hander Sean Newcomb.

“Early on, there were a lot of good at-bats,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “With Austin, it's nice to see some early reward for the work you put in. I know it's just one game, one at-bat, one home run, but it still feels good. It's better doing it than not.”

A welcome-back walk-off
Last year, Tristan Gray’s first Spring Training in big league camp ended early due to a fractured hamate bone sustained against the Twins on March 6, a week before camp shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The non-roster infielder said Sunday he remembers that game like it was yesterday, calling his injury “pretty gut-wrenching” at the time.

His first game this spring was much more satisfying.

In the fifth inning, Gray hit a two-run triple that Braves center fielder Justin Dean couldn’t track down. One out away from the game ending in a 7-7 tie, Gray came up in the seventh with a man on and launched a fly ball over the boardwalk beyond the right-field fence for a walk-off two-run homer.

“This was pretty crazy. I'm still feeling the butterflies and all from all this, but it's been great,” Gray said. “I was telling Ryan Boldt when we were sitting there: It may have been a long time, but whenever you get back into things, it feels so familiar. So it's great, man. I am just excited to be here. And obviously having a day like today is a plus.”

After recovering from his injury, the 24-year-old Gray played independent ball with the Sugar Land Skeeters last summer and joined a group of Rays prospects for instructional league camp. Acquired three years ago from the Pirates for Corey Dickerson, Gray has noticeably bulked up, putting on 30-35 pounds and now weighing in around 220-225. He has improved his approach at the plate with help from Double-A coach Jamie Nelson.

“Another guy that's got pop. You just saw it. And being able to be versatile is right up our alley,” Cash said of Gray, who has played all four spots in the infield. “We want to continue to hone on the defense wherever he's playing, be as good as possible, and just have good at-bats.”

Fans in the stands
The Rays announced an attendance of 1,127 for Sunday’s game, which was full capacity given the socially distanced pod seating in effect this spring. After playing without fans until the postseason last year, players and staff were glad to see some supportive fans cheering them on in person from the start.

“Good to see them. We're so appreciative of them,” Cash said. “The way they welcomed us back, it was nice to be able to wave at a distance and express to them … it's great to have you here.”

Meadows said he noticed people wearing his jersey and those of his teammates when he walked in from the clubhouse. Arozarena waved back to someone who wished him a happy birthday from the stands. Adames made sure to acknowledge fans as he took the field.

“It’s kind of boring with them not being able to be in the stands. I feel like they are the energy at the stadium,” Adames said. “They give us energy every time they’re there. Their support, that’s what we play for. … It was great to have that today.”

Around the horn
• First baseman Ji-Man Choi, who sat out of Saturday’s workout with a sore right knee, fielded ground balls and took batting practice on the field before Sunday’s game. Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip tightness) shagged fly balls in the outfield and ran the bases during batting practice.

• After primarily playing left field with the Rays last season, Arozarena started Sunday in right field. Cash said the outfielder could play all three spots this spring, spending most of his time in the corners, and should play both left and right during the season. Arozarena will play left field when the Rays play at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla., this spring, for instance, so he can get used to playing in front of the Green Monster.

“We’ll kind of take stadium factors in,” Cash said. “If there's some similarities to some of the ballparks we're going into, let him see different balls off the bat in those parks. I know Fenway really sticks out."

• Yoshi Tsutsugo started in left field on Sunday and should get some in-game work at first base on Wednesday. Tsutsugo is expected to work in the outfield and at both infield corners this spring.

• Rather than holding entrance interviews with every player, Cash said he’ll meet -- alongside general manager Erik Neander and assistant GMs Peter Bendix and Carlos Rodriguez -- with new players and prospects who haven’t been in big league camp before.

“Wanted to let the guys kind of get in, get acclimated, and then have some individual meetings,” Cash said. “We're not going to do it with everybody in camp, but the guys that we feel that we need to to introduce ourselves, the organization a little bit.”