DeLuca is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
DeLuca will hit the bench for the third time in the Rays' last four matchups with right-handed starting pitchers. Though he should remain locked into a prominent spot in the lineup versus lefties, DeLuca looks like he's slipping into a short-side platoon role, with Victor Mesa getting more work against righties.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Sitting Saturday
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DeLuca isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Arizona, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
DeLuca will step out of the starting nine Saturday after going 0-for-4 to begin the series Friday. His absence will allow Victor Mesa to start in right field while batting fourth.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Exiting starting nine
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DeLuca is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.
DeLuca has now started five of seven contests since returning from the injured list last week. The Rays are going with Cedric Mullins in center field and Victor Mesa in right field in Thursday's series finale.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Homers again Sunday
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DeLuca went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and three RBI in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.
After striking out in each of his first two plate appearances, DeLuca doubled in the fifth inning and later delivered the game's biggest hit, launching a two-run homer off Orlando Ribalta in the seventh to give Tampa Bay the eventual winning runs. The outfielder has wasted little time making an impact since returning from the injured list, going 3-for-8 (.375) with two homers and three RBI across his first eight plate appearances back in the lineup. Before the hamstring injury, DeLuca was batting .269 with two homers and 19 RBI across 41 contests.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Could be activated this weekend
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Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that DeLuca (hamstring) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during this weekend's series versus the Nationals, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
DeLuca will play his fourth rehab game with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday after reaching base eight times in his first three rehab contests. He's a little more than three weeks into a projected 6-to-8 week timeline, so DeLuca has progressed much faster than anticipated. DeLuca was seeing regular starts in right field before getting hurt and could regain that role upon activation.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Shelved for 6-to-8 weeks
Rotowire
DeLuca is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks after an MRI revealed a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Though the Grade 1 diagnosis is the least severe, the Rays nevertheless anticipate a lengthy absence for the outfielder. DeLuca had been serving as the Rays' primary right fielder of late, and in the two games since he got hurt, the club has used Ryan Vilade once (against a lefty) and Victor Mesa once (against a righty) at the position.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Shelved with hamstring strain
Rotowire
The Rays placed DeLuca on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a right hamstring strain.
DeLuca strained his right hamstring while running the bases during Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees. The 27-year-old outfielder will be eligible to return from the shelf June 3, but it's unclear if he'll have a shot at rejoining the Rays at that time. Victor Mesa was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move and could work in a platoon in right field with Ryan Vilade while DeLuca is on the IL.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Likely IL bound
Rotowire
Manager Kevin Cash said that DeLuca suffered a hamstring injury during Friday's game against the Yankees and will likely be placed on the injured list, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The severity of DeLuca's injury remains unclear, but the Rays have already determined that the situation warrants keeping him on the shelf for at least 10 days. Victor Mesa is expected to take DeLuca's place on the active roster, as he was removed from his game at Triple-A Durham shortly after DeLuca went down.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Playing time on rise
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DeLuca will start in center field and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays have deployed DeLuca as a short-side platoon player for most of the season, but he could get the chance to play more regularly against right-handed pitching after Jake Fraley (hernIa) was placed on the injured list Sunday. Though he'll be included in the lineup against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers on Monday, DeLuca started versus righties in the final two games of the Rays' weekend series versus Miami.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Stuffs stat sheet in win Tuesday
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DeLuca went 3-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Blue Jays.
DeLuca doubled home a run off lefty starter Patrick Corbin in the first inning and doubled again off struggling reliever Jeff Hoffman in the seventh. He later singled and stole his sixth base of the season in the top of the ninth. DeLuca now has three multi-hit games in his last 10 appearances and is slashing .280/.316/.441 with two home runs, 15 RBI, 16 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 5:19 BB:K across 99 plate appearances this season.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Handling short-side platoon role
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DeLuca went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Toronto.
DeLuca doubled off Blue Jays southpaw Patrick Corbin for his seventh two-bagger of the year. While DeLuca tends to sit versus right-handed pitching, he's been effective in his part-time role for the Rays. Over 34 at-bats against left-handers, the righty-hitting outfielder is batting .294 with two home runs, four doubles and nine RBI.
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Rays' Cedric Mullins: Hits extra-innings homer in win
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Mullins went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and three RBI in Saturday's 8-7 extra-innings win over the Pirates.
Mullins singled home Jonny DeLuca in the fifth inning and later delivered the eventual game-winning homer with a two-run shot to break a 6-6 tie in the top of the 13th. It was Mullins' second homer of the season. The veteran has had a rough go of things at the plate in his first season with the Rays, slashing .149/.205/.284 with just four extra-base hits, eight RBI, seven runs scored, three stolen bases and a 3:16 BB:K across 75 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Drives in two in OD loss
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DeLuca went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Cardinals.
With left-hander Matthew Liberatore on the mound for St. Louis, DeLuca got the start in right field and batted sixth for Tampa Bay. He drove in a pair with a single in the sixth inning. DeLuca missed most of the 2025 season battling shoulder, hamstring and quadriceps injuries, requiring two stints of the 60-day injured list. Now healthy, DeLuca figures to see regular playing time against left-handed pitching to begin the season.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: In Saturday's lineup
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DeLuca (hamstring/quad) will start in center field and bat seventh during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
DeLuca ended the 2025 campaign on the 60-day IL with a right quad strain, but after a full offseason of recovery, he's ready to return to the field for the Rays' spring opener. As one of the team's few right-handed outfield bats, the 27-year-old figures to see regular action against southpaws this year.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Shifts to 60-day IL
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The Rays transferred DeLuca (hamstring/quad) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
DeLuca has already been ruled out for the rest of the year after suffering a right quad strain at Triple-A Durham, so the Rays will move him to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man roster spot for Garrett Acton.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Kicks off rehab assignment
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DeLuca (hamstring) went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first rehab game with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.
DeLuca also played seven innings in center field in what was his first game since suffering a left hamstring strain three weeks earlier. There's no word on when the Rays plan to activate DeLuca from the 10-day injured list, but it could be any day now. He's been limited to just 20 games this season due to various injuries.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Sticking in lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
DeLuca will start in center field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
DeLuca will be included in the lineup for the seventh straight contest, but it's not yet clear if he'll be in line for regular starts against right-handed pitching after fellow outfielder Chandler Simpson returned to action in Tuesday's 7-3 win following a four-game absence due to a finger issue. The Rays could open up more time for DeLuca if they opt to rotate a number of other regulars at the designated-hitter spot and commit to Yandy Diaz as a full-time first baseman while Jonathan Aranda (wrist) is on the injured list.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Looks set for short-side role
Rotowire
DeLuca went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Monday against the Angels.
DeLuca started his fifth straight game in the absence of Chandler Simpson (hand) and has gone 4-for-18 with six strikeouts in that span. Despite struggling overall, he has managed two stolen bases across those five contests, bringing his total on the season to six. Assuming Simpson makes his expected return Tuesday, DeLuca is likely to shift back to a small-side platoon role.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Off IL
Rotowire
The Rays activated DeLuca (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Friday.
DeLuca had been on the shelf since April 8 due to a right shoulder strain, an injury that was initially expected to sideline DeLuca for 2-to-4 weeks before he suffered multiple setbacks. The 26-year-old's return will bump Jacob Waguespack from the 40-man roster, while Ha-Seong Kim (back) heads to the IL.
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Rays' Jonny DeLuca: Suffers minor setback
Rotowire
Rays manager Kevin Cash said that DeLuca will be shut down for 3-to-5 days due to mild soreness in his right shoulder after throwing and swinging a bat, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
If he feels better following the brief shutdown period, DeLuca will be allowed to resume his rehab. DeLuca doesn't seem to be dealing with a significant setback at this time, but the outfielder certainly will not be activated from the 10-day injured list anytime soon. Chandler Simpson has been operating as the Rays' primary center fielder of late.
