With spectacular catch, Arozarena bids to back up Siri in CF

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- With Jonny DeLuca and Josh Lowe injured, the Rays are counting on Jose Siri to play a lot of games in center field at the start of the season.

But if Siri needs a day off, center field may temporarily become Randy Land.

Randy Arozarena and Richie Palacios are the Rays’ top candidates to shift over to center field behind Siri, the starter, so they will see some action in center as Spring Training winds down. Arozarena started the Rays’ 7-3 win over the Braves on Monday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park in center field and, naturally, made a spectacular play in his first game of the spring there.

With runners on the corners and one out in the third, Travis d’Arnaud hit a fly ball into the right-center-field gap. Arozarena got a good jump on the ball, ran after it and laid out to complete the diving catch.

“That was a heck of a play,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I knew he was excited to go out there. He showed it.”

Arozarena noted that center field is hardly a new position for him, although he’s only played 12 innings there for the Rays -- and none since 2021. Now primarily a left fielder, Arozarena debuted for the Cardinals in center in August 2019 and played five games at the position. He also played plenty of center in the Minors, logging 71 games there.

“I feel comfortable there,” Arozarena said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “The finish to spring, I’m probably going to get some work there just to get the rhythm of it.”

Arozarena also made a heads-up play in the first inning, backing up right fielder Amed Rosario when he lost a high fly in the clouds. Palacios made a tough sliding grab in left field to end the first and finished the game in center.

“I think with some of our injuries that have taken place, Siri’s going to play out there as much as possible,” Cash said. “But we’ve got to make sure that if he needs a day or something else goes sideways, we’ve got some coverage.”

J. Lowe talks ‘frustrating’ injury
A day after the Rays revealed that right fielder Josh Lowe will not be on their Opening Day roster due to a mild right oblique strain, Lowe said Monday the injury is “pretty minor” but acknowledged his frustration.

After playing two Spring Training games, Lowe was sidelined by left hip inflammation. He was nearing a return to game action over the weekend, only to be shut down again with an oblique injury he didn’t want to aggravate any further.

Lowe said he never felt a pop or a stabbing feeling, unlike the more significant strains that knocked out shortstop Yu Chang and Lowe’s brother, Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, this spring. He will be shut down for five to seven days to heal then eventually get as many at-bats as he needs to feel comfortable and ready for regular-season competition.

“It’s frustrating, because the hip was 100 percent and I felt great, then this kind of popped up out of nowhere,” Lowe said. “It feels pretty minor, but it’s something that we want to take care of. … I think we did the smart thing here just getting in front of it.”

Around the horn
• Right-hander Chris Devenski pitched two innings against the Braves, allowing one run on three hits (including an RBI single on the ball Rosario couldn’t catch) while striking out two. Devenski was getting built up to work in a bulk-inning role, but Cash said they are capping the veteran reliever at two innings.

“Really encouraged with what we’ve seen,” Cash said. “The stuff has certainly held its own.”

• Cash said he was pleased with all the Rays’ pitching on Monday. Phil Maton gave up three hits but just one run. Jason Adam allowed a homer to Andrew Velazquez but struck out two. Kevin Kelly and Manuel Rodriguez also put up zeros.

• All the Rays’ offense came in the sixth and seventh. Brandon Lowe and Harold Ramírez had run-scoring singles in a four-run sixth, which Curtis Mead capped with a sacrifice fly against Max Fried. Non-roster catcher Nick Meyer, who was reassigned to Minor League camp after the game, added a three-run blast to left in the seventh.

Up next
The Rays will head south on Tuesday to face the Red Sox at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Left-hander Tyler Alexander, a swingman competing for a spot on the Opening Day staff, will get the start for Tampa Bay. Key relievers Pete Fairbanks, Colin Poche and Shawn Armstrong are also scheduled to pitch.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET. The Rays Radio broadcast will air on WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM.