ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays returned to work on Friday with the opening of Spring 2.0 at Tropicana Field.
Thirty two of the 37 rostered players were listed on the workout sheet. It was not immediately clear the status of the other five: infielder Jose Martinez, pitchers Yonny Chirinos and Chaz Roe, and non-roster catchers Chris Herrmann and Kevan Smith.
Herrmann and Smith are instead working out with the group in Port Charlotte, as there is an opportunity for them to get more reps there.
General manager Erik Neander said the team expected all players to be back in the Tampa Bay area for the start of camp and to do intake COVID-19 testing by Wednesday. So whether that has something to do with why the players were not working out today is not clear. Chirinos and Martinez were in the group of players that had been working out at the Trop for the past six weeks.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said he could not address reasons why players were not working out.
“Given all of the protocols, guidelines that we’re trying to follow we’re not going to get into specifics,‘' he said on a Zoom media call. “There were a variety of reasons as to why we were not at 100 percent attendance.
“But as far as the workout today, it went really well. Great to see the guys. You can tell most of the guys had been doing something to keep their bodies in shape. Looked really good. ... Really pleased just to see the guys and to get this thing started.‘'
And obviously under unusual circumstances.
Initial reaction on the workout protocol, from veteran pitcher Charlie Morton: “Definitely, it’s weird.''
Morton said his “intention was to play if we had the opportunity” and he felt it was his “responsibility” to do so. But he acknowledged he doesn’t “feel totally comfortable” doing so. He said he never questioned whether he wanted to play.
Morton, 36, also said he he has not made up his mind about playing beyond this season, but part of him doesn’t want to end his career “this way,” in these odd circumstances. He added that he’s in good shape and ready. As he said in February, overall circumstances, such as how he feels and whether he is still enjoying the game, will dictate.
The Rays have a detailed plan to resume workouts, splitting the players at the Trop into four groups of 8-10 and limiting their time on the field to one hour, doing mostly individual drills such as taking batting practice, fielding ground and fly balls, and throwing off the mounds. There are 23 other players in their 60-man pool set to work out at the Port Charlotte spring facility.
They do so amid some concerns from players and staff about how all the precautions and safety measures will work.
Here are the Friday work groups:
Group 1
Banda, Beeks, Brosseau, Choi, Margot, McKay, Morton, Perez
Group 2
Anderson, Fairbanks, B. Lowe, Meadows, Renfroe, Snell, Yarbrough, Zunino
Group 3
Adames, Alvarado, Castillo, Diaz, Glasnow, Loup, N. Lowe, Tsutsugo
Group 4
Arozarena, Drake, Kiermaier, Kittredge, Poche, Richards, Robertson, Wendle
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July 03, 2020 at 09:38PM
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Rays back at Tropicana Field; five players not working out - Tampa Bay Times
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