Advertisement

Rays journal: Steven Souza Jr. defends risky leap at wall

 
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 24: Steven Souza Jr. #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after injuring his right arm in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 24, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) 700010515
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 24: Steven Souza Jr. #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after injuring his right arm in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 24, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) 700010515
Published April 26, 2017

BALTIMORE — The answer to whether RF Steven Souza Jr. would miss any time after bruising a bone in his right elbow Monday jumping for a ball at the wall came early Tuesday.

"When I woke up and it wasn't extremely unbearable, I texted (manager Kevin) Cash and said I was ready to go," Souza said. "Obviously banging your elbow on a bar, it's not going to feel great the next day, but I feel good enough."

The question, however, lingered as to whether Souza really had a chance to catch the ball, a home run by the Orioles' Hyun Soo Kim that easily cleared the 7-foot-high wall.

Even Cash joined the doubters, saying, "If he was standing on the wall, yeah, maybe."

But Souza maintained Tuesday that he did have a chance, and it was worth the attempt and the risk of injury.

"If you look at how high my glove got, I was pretty close. It was in the first row," he said. "Don't sleep on my Spider-Man arms."

The bigger issue is Souza finding the balance between being aggressive and reckless in the field.

"It's just the way I play," he said. "I may have to cut it back a little bit. But I know those guys on the mound — I'm going to give everything I can to save those balls. … At least they know in the back of their mind, they did all they could and I did all I could and they can have peace of mind and move on to the next pitch.

"Because I would never want a pitcher to look at me and say, Man, he could have had that ball if he would have just tried a bit."

Number of the day

.988 Fielding percentage by SS Tim Beckham going into play Tuesday, third best in the AL, with one error in 82 chances. "He's done a tremendous job for us," manager Kevin Cash said.

Rest, rehab for prospect

The Rays got relatively good news on RHP prospect Taylor Guerrieri's sore right elbow, with tests showing no structural damage. He'll be on rest and rehab and is likely to miss at least a couple months but is not heading for a second Tommy John surgery. Guerrieri left an April 13 start for Triple-A Durham with discomfort. … Another top prospect, RHP Jose De Leon, is working his way back from forearm muscle discomfort, throwing live batting practice in extended spring.

Medical matters

OF Colby Rasmus (hip surgery) remains on track to join the Rays on Friday, with plans to continue his rehab with Double-A Montgomery tonight and Thursday, 1-for-9 thus far. … A simulated game for RHP Jake Odorizzi (hamstring) was pushed back until today, allowing him to throw on the field in better weather and be on a five-day schedule for his planned Monday return. … OF Mallex Smith (hamstring) went 1-for-3 with a triple for the Stone Crabs on Tuesday. He seems headed to Triple A when healthy. … LHP Xavier Cedeno (forearm tightness) will get a second opinion today from noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews; the Rays are somewhat optimistic he won't need surgery, though he's still out at least a couple of months.

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Kind of a big deal over there

RHP Chih-Wei Hu's Monday major-league debut was huge news back home in Taiwan, as he became just the 12th from the nation to play in the majors. "I don't even know how many messages I got, maybe a thousand," Hu said. "I had to turn my phone off so I could get some rest." The fanfare included a Taiwanese TV news crew based in Washington driving up to interview him. Hu was texting Tuesday with Marlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen, hoping the only two active Taiwanese players can meet next week in Miami.

Challenge of the day

Given the confidence 6-foot-4 OF Steven Souza Jr. has in his leaping ability, we asked if he could out-jump supremely athletic 6-1 OF Kevin Kiermaier in, say, a basketball tipoff. "I got it," Souza said. "Just watch at the end of the game when we high-five when we win and who's higher. That's all you need to know.