ST. PETERSBURG -- After dealing with a number of key injuries throughout the first two months of the season, the Rays are close to getting the band back together. That means making some tough choices.

The Rays reinstated infielder Taylor Walls from the 60-day injured list before Friday’s series opener against the Orioles at Tropicana Field. To make room for Walls, who had spent the whole season on the IL recovering from right hip surgery, the Rays designated DH/outfielder Harold Ramírez for assignment.

The move to drop Ramírez was “not an easy decision by any means,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said.

“Really challenging decision. Harold’s such a good player, and he did so many good things for us,” manager Kevin Cash added. “But it came down to, what did we feel was best for our roster moving forward?”

Let’s answer a few key questions about what Friday’s move means for the Rays’ roster.

Why did they DFA Ramírez and not trade him? Couldn’t they have optioned somebody else?
Hypothetically, the Rays could have optioned someone like outfielder Jonny DeLuca to Triple-A and kept Ramírez, maintaining their depth. They had those conversations.

“Preserving depth and keeping your options open is important, but I think we’re at a point where we felt it was best, in our judgment, to put the best players together to go out and compete,” Neander said.

Neander said the Rays were looking to become “more athletic, more of the defensive identity that we’ve tended to have over the years.” As a team, the Rays rank 17th in Outs Above Average and 27th in Defensive Runs Saved this season. That needs to improve. Ramírez was primarily a part-time DH, so they’ll have more flexibility moving forward.

It also stands to reason that, if the Rays could have acquired something in return for Ramírez rather than designating him and potentially being on the hook for the remainder of his $3.8 million salary, they would have.

One factor had to be that Ramírez’s performance had dropped off. He was batting .268 with a .284 on-base percentage, and 40 of his 44 hits were singles. His under-the-hood numbers have dipped, too, including his average exit velocity (86.3 mph), max exit velocity (108.3 mph), hard-hit rate (34.1%), walk rate (1.8%) and launch angle (0.1 degrees, down from 6.1 last year), suggesting his step back was not a fluke.

What does Walls’ return mean for the shortstop position?
Walls had surgery last Oct. 27 and needed more time than anticipated to let the area around his hip flexor heal, but said he felt ready to compete.

“Took a little longer than expected, but I think I definitely needed that time,” Walls said. “The product I’m going to bring now will be much better and more normal to myself than what it would have been if I would have come back exactly when I had hoped to.”

Walls got the start at shortstop on Friday night, and Cash made it clear: When he’s playing, he’s going to play shortstop.

“Defensively, he’s a game-changer. He’s going to make everybody around him better, just the amount of ground that he covers,” Cash said. “We’ll move guys around a little bit more.”

Where will José Caballero play?
Caballero had only played short for the Rays before Friday night, but he also has plenty of experience at second and third base. He started at second against Orioles lefty Cole Irvin on Friday. He’ll also see time at third and play shortstop on Walls’ days off. Tampa Bay expects Caballero to play a big part in improving the club’s overall defensive performance.

What about the rest of the infield?
Caballero can play second base against left-handers or give Brandon Lowe the occasional DH day against right-handers. If he’s at third, the Rays can use third baseman Isaac Paredes as their DH -- or bump Paredes to first base, providing Yandy Díaz with some DH time. But Lowe, Díaz and Paredes will still see plenty of time at their respective positions, of course.

As Cash put it: “More options and more moving parts.” That’s typically been a good combination for the Rays.

What will they do at DH now?
Expect to see more of Amed Rosario in the DH spot, especially against left-handed pitchers. Rosario has graded out as one of the worst defensive players in baseball this season despite his willingness to play multiple positions, but he’s hitting .302/.317/.423 overall and .328 with a .794 OPS against lefties.

Against right-handers, the Rays can rotate players through the DH spot, including Díaz, Lowe, Paredes, Josh Lowe and Randy Arozarena, with second baseman/outfielder Richie Palacios and DeLuca able to fill in as needed.