Rays reassign Wander Franco, nine others to minors

PORT CHARLOTTE — Consensus top prospect Wander Franco was among 10 players the Rays reassigned to minor-league camp Monday.

Also sent down were pitchers Shane Baz, Phoenix Sanders and Tyler Zombro; catcher Blake Hunt; outfielders Moises Gomez and Garrett Whitley and infielders Xavier Edwards and Greg Jones. After Monday’s 3-2 win over Boston, they also reassigned pitcher Kenny Rosenberg.

Manager Kevin Cash said the message to Franco and the others was basically that they are really talented but it was time to reduce the number of players in big-league camp so the core group can start getting more work.

“We’ve had conversations with all of them, good conversations, basically that innings are coming a little thinner now because we’ve got to get guys stretched out, and our position player core group is going to start playing deeper in ballgames,” Cash said.

“But very complimentary and high praise for all the guys that were named and what we think about them. ... There’s no denying the talent that is through this organization. And in fairness, there’s a lot of talented players that aren’t here right now.”

Cash noted the progress of Baz, who was acquired in the July 2018 Chris Archer trade, and Jones, who was the team’s 2019 first-round pick.

On Baz, 21: “I asked Shane when we just talked to him a couple minutes ago, in your mind what has changed from the beginning of the alt site last year to now. And he kind of listed off, he said, ‘Look, I felt like I had two pitches that I could throw at any point any in any count. Now I think I’ve graduated to having a third pitch, being the change-up.’ So he came in with the fastball (and) slider now he has the change-up. And the curveball is making its progress. You’ve got to like the stuff that you see, just the overall (package), the body, he’s got those long, long legs. You can tell he’s probably going to naturally just put on some weight as he gets a little older. He’s got a lot of power.”

On Jones, 23: “He needs a season. You look at the progress that he’s made and he just would really benefit — (infield coach Rodney Linares) said the other day, you can practice, practice, practice but it’s getting into into the flow of a season and the reps leading into games. He is a guy that is super talented. He’s got a lot of pop in his bat. He can fly. He’s got as good an arm as anybody.”

Even with the moves, the Rays still have 66 players in major-league camp. Since technically minor-league camps are not open yet due to league-wide rules, the reassigned players will continue to work out in a smaller group at the Rays facility, and some players still could be used in exhibition games.

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Franco, 20, has played exclusively at shortstop during his two years in the Rays’ minor-league system, but they want to expand his versatility, which could create more options to get him to the majors. He started at third base on Sunday.

Cash said the message to Franco was similar to the others:

“Just expressed that there’s no denying he’s a very talented player. Saying that, we have a core group of guys that played really well last year and went to the World Series. And it was kind of time to get those guys together and playing deeper in these games.”