Jonny DeLuca

March 16, 2025

Remains projected center fielder

DeLuca is expected to be the Rays' primary center fielder to begin the regular season, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Analysis

DeLuca produced only a .609 OPS across 362 plate appearances with the Rays in 2024, but he seemingly inherited the center field role after Jose Siri was dealt in the offseason. He hasn't fared any better across 29 plate appearances in Grapefruit League games, as he has yet to tally an extra-base hit while collecting only five hits across 26 at-bats. DeLuca's defensive ability will still be enough for him to begin the season as a regular, though he'll presumably need to be more productive at the plate to maintain that status.