The third of the Tampa Bay Rays top prospects is expected to be called up Wednesday, as infielder/outfielder Vidal Brujan will be recalled by the team and make his Major League debut in the doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians due to Manuel Margot suffering a hamstring injury on Monday, as first reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Margot expected to be placed on IL by #Rays due to hamstring injury sustained Monday, tho severity not yet known. Brujan would seem to be the likely replacement, tho will be several roster moves with 27th man for doubleheader, opportunity to add extra pitcher, Fleming activation
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 6, 2021
Margot suffered his injury in the ninth inning of Monday’s 8-7 comeback victory, beating out an infield single off Indians closer Emmanuel Clase.
Brujan, ranked as the #2 prospect in the Rays organization by MLB.com, got out to a huge start at Triple-A Durham, hitting .315/.408/.584 in the month of May, but saw his bat cool off in June, with a .182 batting average and a .607 OPS. But his bat was starting to heat up this month, going 5 for 12 in four games in July.
It’s unclear whether Brujan will be called up to be the 27th man on the roster for the doubleheader, or if another player will be the 27th man.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
