ANAHEIM -- On Thursday the Rays announced that veteran outfielder Colby Rasmus had been placed on the restricted list following his decision to step away from baseball.
Rays manager Kevin Cash echoed the team's statement from Thursday when he told reporters Friday: "We kind of, as an organization, are not going to comment about it too much. But we appreciate all of his efforts. We were a good team with Colby and he did a lot of good things for us."
Evan Longoria allowed that everybody "knew he was going through some stuff" because he hadn't been around the clubhouse.
"More importantly, it's best for him to sort the family stuff out first, whatever it is," said Longoria, who noted that he didn't know what exactly Rasmus was dealing with. "Whatever it is that he's dealing with is more important than baseball.
"I'm sure it's a tough decision, but I respect it. And I respect that he wants his privacy and kind of wants to make it a non-issue. From a baseball standpoint, selfishly, we're going to miss him."
Alex Cobb called Rasmus "one of the most interesting people I've ever been around" adding, "And I think that's the best way to put it."
"We talk about personalities in baseball and his was amongst the best, I'd say," Cobb said. "Not taking yourself seriously was his thing. Every day he came in, and you never knew what you were going to get. He always called himself diverse. You know, so he was able to hang out with every group. And that's definitely what he was.
"So we'll miss him. Hopefully we'll catch up with him down the road at some point so we can say our proper goodbyes. He's a big part of this clubhouse getting to that point where we have that good chemistry. We appreciate what he was able to bring to the table."
Rasmus had been on the 10-day disabled list since June 23, retroactive to June 19, with left hip tendinitis.
"He'd been gone a while," Corey Dickerson said. "We were hoping we'd get him back. He provides a lot for the team. It's unfortunate, but we support him, whatever he's got going on. But we wish him the best.
"I think he really liked it here, he liked all the guys on the team, and we liked him. So I think we were all a little suprised."
Dickerson called Rasmus "a funny guy, a cool guy."
"I definitely consider him a good friend," Dickerson said. "He's a good human being."
Dickerson noted that Ramus was all about "being true to yourself."
"Being who you are," Dickerson said. "That's what he liked to call it. He dressed different. He did stuff out of the ordinary, but it was because he was being himself. And that's how he likes to play the game, too."
Rasmus played in 37 games for the Rays this season, hitting .281 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs.