Here's where Rays Top 30 prospects are starting '22

With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where the Rays’ Top 30 prospects are projected to start:

1) Shane Baz (MLB No. 12), RHP -- Injured (right elbow)
2) Josh Lowe (MLB No. 50), OF -- Tampa Bay (MLB)
3) Taj Bradley (MLB No. 74), RHP -- Montgomery (Double-A)
4) Vidal Bruján (MLB No. 77), OF -- Durham (Triple-A)
5) Greg Jones (MLB No. 91), SS -- Montgomery (Double-A)
6) Curtis Mead, 3B -- Montgomery (Double-A)
7) Xavier Edwards, 2B -- Montgomery (Double-A) -- injured list
8) Seth Johnson, RHP -- Bowling Green (High-A)
9) Carson Williams, SS -- Charleston (Single-A)
10) Willy Vasquez, SS -- Charleston (Single-A)
11) Carlos Colmenarez, SS -- Extended spring training
12) Cole Wilcox, RHP -- Injured (Tommy John)
13) Sandy Gaston, RHP -- Charleston (Single-A)
14) Ian Seymour, LHP -- Montgomery (Double-A)
15) Kameron Misner, OF -- Montgomery (Double-A)
16) Heriberto Hernandez, OF -- Bowling Green (High-A)
17) Nick Bitsko, RHP -- Extended spring training
18) Tommy Romero, RHP -- Durham (Triple-A)
19) JJ Goss, RHP -- Charleston (Single-A)
20) Austin Shenton, 3B -- Montgomery (Double-A)
21) Blake Hunt, C -- Montgomery (Double-A)
22) Jonathan Aranda, 1B/2B/3B -- Durham (Triple-A)
23) Ford Proctor, C -- Durham (Triple-A)
24) Cooper Kinney, 2B -- Charleston (Single-A) -- injured list
25) Colby White, RHP -- Injured (Tommy John)
26) Kyle Manzardo, 1B -- Bowling Green (High-A)
27) Rene Pinto, C -- Durham (Triple-A)
28) Osleivis Basabe, SS -- Bowling Green (High-A)
29) John Doxakis, LHP -- Bowling Green (High-A)
30) Junior Caminero, SS -- Extended spring training

Team to watch
Montgomery’s active roster boasts eight members of Tampa Bay’s Top 30, including three of the top six and six of the top 15. Bradley will get every chance to be the ace of the staff after leading full-season Minor Leaguers in ERA in 2021, while the trio of Jones, Mead and Misner brings plenty of tools to the everyday lineup. Most of this group is carried over from a Bowling Green team that went 82-36 last year and won the High-A East (now South Atlantic League) title.

Teams on MiLB.TV
Triple-A Durham
Double-A Montgomery
High-A Bowling Green
Single-A Charleston

New faces
Misner was acquired from the Marlins straight-up for Joey Wendle in November and moves back to Double-A, where he hit .309/.387/.491 over 14 games at the end of last season. Williams, the club’s top pick in the 2021 Draft, gets his first taste of full-season action with Single-A Charleston. The shortstop won’t turn 19 until June 25.

On the shelf
Baz’s American League Rookie of the Year hopes were dealt a blow when he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last month. The procedure was done to remove loose bodies in the elbow, and he is expected to resume a throwing program later this month. Right-handers Wilcox and White are likely to miss much of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. On the position player side, Edwards is dealing with a shoulder impingement from earlier in camp. The organization is hopeful he can join the Durham lineup by the end of April. Kinney suffered a shoulder injury diving back into the bag this spring and needed surgery to repair the issue. He'll open the season on the 60-day IL.