We are less than two weeks away from the start of the 2022 regular season, and the Opening Day roster has started to come into focus. So it’s time to see if we can get closer to what you’ll see on April 8 when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.
As always, we have ground rules for these projections, though they have been tweaked because of agreements made between the league and the players association for the start of the year:
- Only players on the spring roster as of Sunday will be used in the projections come Monday. I thought perhaps that Harold Ramirez, who was officially traded for Saturday, may be left off the roster, but he has been added and is eligible for this week’s projection.
- No trade predictions. It’s hard enough to try and do this with all of the players in Port Charlotte. I don’t need the rumor mill to add any spice to the equation.
- Injured lists are in play. The 10-day, 15-day, and 60-day IL’s are fair game when necessary.
- Pitcher limits are in no longer in effect. The league and players association have agreed to allow for a 28-man roster for Opening Day through May 2, and that the limit of 13 pitchers on the roster would not be enforced for that time frame. So you may see a couple of extra hurlers this time around.
Pitchers
photo: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays
There have been a number of stories that have come out over the course of the last seven days, as we learned that Shane Baz had a loose body removed from his elbow, and both Luis Patino and Pete Fairbanks have dealt with injury issues, some more serious than others. Still with the roster expanded and the pitcher limit restriction not being enforced, it’s almost a certainlty that the two extra roster spots will be occupied by pitchers. So instead of having 13 pitchers as we had through the first two versions of the projections, you get 15 this time.
Pitchers (15): Jason Adam, JT Chargois, J.P. Feyereisen, Josh Fleming, Andrew Kittredge, Corey Kluber, Shane McClanahan, Luis Patino, Colin Poche, Brooks Raley, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs, Ryan Thompson, Matt Wisler, Ryan Yarbrough
Catchers
photo: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays
This section is simple, as both Rene Pinto and Ford Proctor have been optioned to the minors, so they will not make the Opening Day roster unless there is an injury, and if either Mike Zunino or Francisco Mejia gets injured before April 8, I believe the front office’s first call won’t be to Pinto or Proctor, but instead to Kevan Smith or Wilson Ramos.
Catchers (2): Francisco Mejia, Mike Zunino
Infielders
photo: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays
Acquisitions elsewhere have made me change things around a little bit, as instead of going with six infielders and five outfielders, I’ve gone the other way. That means either Taylor Walls or Vidal Brujan will start the year in Triple-A. I’m sticking with Walls making Opening Day because of his defensive ability, especially in playing third base.
Infielders (5): Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe, Taylor Walls
Outfielders
photo: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays
As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, what was a five-man outfield is now a six-man bunch with the acquisition of Ramirez, though I have a sneaking suspicion that the front office will want to see how the 27-year-old adjusts to playing first base at some point early in the season.
Outfielders (6): Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Manuel Margot, Auston Meadows, Brett Phillips, Harold Ramirez
Injured List
photo: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays
We know that three pitchers will start the season on the 60-day injured list, and it appears an additional two more will also begin 2022 hurt. I know the training staff is hoping no others deal with issues before the start of the season.
15-day injured list (2): Shane Baz, Pete Fairbanks
60-day injured list (3); Nick Anderson, Yonny Chirinos, Tyler Glasnow