Tampa Bay Rays Interested in Yankees’ Rob Refsnyder
By Jeremy Karll
The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees might strike a deal to send Rob Refsnyder to Tampa.
According to the New York Post, the Tampa Bay Rays are interested in trading for Rob Refsnyder from the New York Yankees. The Yankees are interested in moving Refsnyder to potentially open a spot on their 40-man roster for shortstop Pete Kozma, despite Kozma only hitting .206/.289/.265 this spring. They likely wouldn’t be as inclined to keep Kozma if it wasn’t for Didi Gregorius‘ injury.
Refsnyder, 26, has not been much better. He is hitting .195/.313/.341 during Spring Training after a 58-game stint with the Yankees in 2016.
However, on Sunday he went 1-for-1 with a double and walk, while playing multiple positions in the field, against Tampa Bay. He also went 1-for-2 with a run against the Rays earlier this spring.
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He hasn’t had a major role in New York, as he’s only played 74 games in the past two seasons as a utility man. There isn’t a defined role in New York for him, and now it looks like the Yankees are prioritizing new players over him.
After hitting two home runs and .302/.348/.512 in 16 games with New York in 2015, Refsnyder had a bigger role in 2016, hitting .250/.328/.309 and driving in 12 runs.
The Rays are probably most interested in his ability to play multiple positions on defense. He would have a similar role to Ben Zobrist‘s when he was in Tampa, per Bronx Pinstripes. Refsnyder played five positions in 2016 – first base, second base, third base, right field and left field – but his main positions are first base and right field. He played 25 games at first and 23 in right last season, but played all of his 15 games at second in 2015.
If his offense can improve then he’d have a good chance to be an everyday player. If not, he’ll probably be up-and-down from the minors and be used primarily as a utility man like in New York.
While it is unknown whether he can be a consistent contributor in the majors, his AAA numbers at the plate are promising. In 248 AAA games between 2014-16, Refsnyder hit .290/.369/.419 with 19 home runs and 109 RBI. He also hit four triples and went 22-for-28 in stolen bases, which highlights his speed.
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Tampa Bay would most likely use him as a utility backup, but more frequently than New York, and have him start occasionally in right field. Refsnyder is still young, but time is running out for him to prove he’s capable of having an MLB role. Therefore, finding a team who will utilize him more often would benefit him this season.