Batting in the third inning of the Rays’ 5-2 loss to the Braves on Thursday afternoon, Manuel Margot smacked a hard line drive into the left-field corner off left-hander Drew Smyly. It was more of the same this spring for Margot, who’s been as good as anybody in camp.

The versatile outfielder has gone 12-for-31 with six doubles in Spring Training, and while nobody’s getting caught up in Margot's Grapefruit League statistics, it stands out that he’s frequently making loud contact at the outset of his second season with Tampa Bay.

Margot entered Spring Training feeling more comfortable with the Rays, after enduring a tremendously difficult year off the field. Along with that personal adversity, he admitted that he put too much pressure on himself to perform at the beginning of his first season with a new team.

“I spent all offseason working on some of the mechanics of my game, and I think with that, it's going to come in and show up on the field,” Margot said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I know I struggled a little bit. I was a little inconsistent last year, but I'm hoping to be a little more comfortable and free this year.”

Manager Kevin Cash has clearly been impressed, praising Margot’s play in the outfield, on the bases and at the plate as being “right at the top of the list of the guys having the best springs in camp.” Cash also noted that Margot could bat leadoff against left-handed starters, as he did five times last season and again against Smyly on Thursday.

“The way Margot's hitting right now,” Cash said, “he could hit really anywhere.”

Wacha sharp again vs. Braves
Right-hander Michael Wacha’s strong spring continued on Thursday at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla., as he held most of Atlanta’s regular lineup to one run on four hits and a walk, while striking out five over five-plus innings.

Overall this spring, Wacha has allowed only one run on six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts in 12 innings. He is scheduled to pitch in the Rays’ Spring Training finale against the Tigers on Tuesday, after which he hopes to carry this momentum into the regular season.

“Whenever you're working on some stuff, you want to see some positive results, so it's been really nice,” Wacha said. “I've been real happy with working with [pitching coach Kyle Snyder] in the side sessions before getting out into the game action. I feel like we're able to translate the stuff we've been working on into games, and it's been working well.”

Greg Jones goes deep
Shortstop prospect Jones put on about 10 pounds of muscle last year, looking to add power to his swing. It showed up Thursday when he blasted what Cash deemed a “pretty impressive” home run to right-center field off Braves reliever Tyler Matzek.

Jones, the Rays’ No. 10 prospect, was reassigned to Minor League camp on March 15, but he is still able to join the club for games. The solo shot was his first hit in a big league spring game, and he believes his experience in camp will benefit him moving forward.

“I think it's going to help me tremendously, because I'm getting to learn from the best guys around,” Jones said. “If you want to be one of them, you've got to act like them and just learn as much from them as you can.”

Choi on the mend
Ji-Man Choi resumed baseball activities Wednesday and said Thursday that his right knee feels “back to normal.” Choi said he took swings in the batting cage and played catch on Wednesday, and while he’s expected to begin the season on the 10-day injured list, his goal is to get back on the field as soon as possible.

“I'm just disappointed that I can't help my team at the start of the season, but I know this is a long season ahead of us,” Choi said through interpreter Steve Nam. “What I can do is just be healthy from now on and just never be in this position again.”

The Rays will primarily use Yandy Díaz and Yoshi Tsutsugo at first base in the meantime, Cash said, with Mike Brosseau capable of playing anywhere in the infield.

Roster moves
The Rays moved another step closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster on Thursday by reassigning David Hess, Dalton Kelly, Miles Mastrobuoni, Joseph Odom and Brett Sullivan to Minor League camp.

The latest round of cuts reduced the Rays’ Spring Training roster to 33 players, including the injured Choi, Smith and Brett Phillips. Only one active non-roster player remains in camp: reliever Andrew Kittredge.

Around the horn

• Randy Arozarena, who was held back by the Rays after taking a lot of swings early in camp, is scheduled to take batting practice on the field on Friday before returning to the lineup on Saturday. That is also when Kevin Kiermaier is scheduled to return to camp following the birth of his second son, Krew Jax Kiermaier.

• Rich Hill pitched four innings on a back field on Wednesday. The veteran lefty and Chris Archer have pitched on the same day their last two times out.

Up next
Hess will start for the Rays as they host the Red Sox at Charlotte Sports Park on Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET. The reassigned right-hander will be followed by three left-handed bullpen options: Josh Fleming, Jeffrey Springs and Cody Reed. The game will air on FOX Sports Sun and MLB.TV, with a radio call available on MLB.com.