Rays employ lineup shake-up to wake offense

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays tried to change things up on Monday night.

Manager Kevin Cash moved Yandy Díaz out of the leadoff spot, slotting him into the second spot in the order. It was Díaz’s first time starting a game anywhere but the top of the order since Aug. 14, 2022. Díaz made a switch of his own, too, wearing his uniform pants down to his shoes rather than his typical look.

Amed Rosario slid into the leadoff spot and extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games. Meanwhile, Randy Arozarena, who hit second or third in each of his first 21 starts to begin the season, dropped down to the cleanup spot. Arozarena also noticeably went back to the walk-up music he used during his All-Star campaign last year.

“I don't have a good reason other than to see if we can shake things up a little bit. Separate Yandy and Randy, see if we can get those [guys] hitting with some guys on base,” Cash said on Monday afternoon. “I mean, Rosie has been right in the thick of everything, and I think it's a pretty easy case to make that we want him up there as many times as possible.”

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has the stuff to shut down lineups even when they’re firing on all cylinders, and he dominated the Rays in a 7-1 rout at Tropicana Field. An eighth-inning homer by José Caballero prevented a shutout, but it was the sixth straight game in which the Rays scored four runs or fewer, and their 16th such performance in 24 games this season.

It’s still early, yes, but these games count, too. The Rays will play their 25th game tonight, at which point 15% of the season will be in the rear-view mirror. And they have a lineup batting just .242/.304/.356, good for a .660 OPS that ranks 24th in the Majors. They’re in the top 10 in strikeouts (216), bottom five in walks (61) and bottom 10 in both doubles (31) and home runs (19).

The obvious question, then: How do they get out of this funk?

It starts with better health, as frustrating as that refrain might be. Getting back Josh Lowe, Jonathan Aranda and Brandon Lowe will better balance a batting order that is predominantly right-handed. The Rays are at their best when they can challenge pitchers with a lineup full of different looks and styles, never letting them get comfortable with one approach.

Getting even a couple of those hitters back will also improve Tampa Bay’s depth, freeing up Cash and the coaching staff to rest certain players and more aggressively seek out advantageous matchups.

The more pressing issue right now is getting their healthy stars on track. As grateful as the Rays are to be receiving this kind of production from Rosario, Caballero and Richie Palacios, Díaz and Arozarena have been hitting at the top of the order for a reason.

“They're both really good hitters. They've obviously gotten off to slow starts, but [the issue is] not being timed up at the plate,” Cash said. “When you're not timed up, this game is really difficult and hitting is really difficult.”

Seeing Díaz slump like this is stunning, considering how consistently excellent the reigning American League batting champ was a year ago. He’s hitting just .222 with a .557 OPS and hasn’t homered since his first plate appearance of the season.

Granted, Díaz has hit into some bad luck, mostly because he’s back to putting balls in play on the ground at an extreme rate. But he’s also swinging more, chasing more and not hitting the ball as hard as he has in years past.

“Sincerely, I don't think I'm there. I'm probably about at 60%,” Díaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “With all the work in the cage and everything, I think things are going to turn around.”

As for Arozarena, MLB.com’s David Adler broke down his struggles on Sunday, with a particularly interesting point about how the 2023 All-Star’s desire to drive the ball to right field may be working against him. Whatever the reason, he’s now batting just .149 with a .451 OPS and hasn’t had a multihit game since March 30. Only three qualified hitters have a lower average and only four have a lower OPS this season.

Arozarena has had his ups and downs before, of course. He and the Rays worked their way out of a major slump last July. They’re hoping to do the same again now -- and the sooner the better.

“By the end of the year, they're going to find their numbers,” hitting coach Chad Mottola said Sunday at Yankee Stadium. “Unfortunately, they're both going through it right now, but there's not much concern.”