The number seven overall prospect in MLB.com’s Top 50 is in the big leagues once again, and it looks like he’s here to stay. After a 10-4 loss to the Royals on Friday night, the Tampa Rays have recalled Desmond Jennings from Triple-A Durham. The 24-year-old outfielder is Tampa Bay’s No. 1 prospect.
Jennings, who hit just .190 with two RBIs, two steals, and five runs in his 17-game Major League debut at the end of last season, has shown serious signs of improvement, making it almost impossible for the team not to call him up. He had been hitting .275/.374/.456 with 12 homers, 39 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in Triple-A, and his 68 runs scored was tops in the International League.
Jennings’ recall comes along with Reid Brignac’s demotion, as he was optioned to Durham due to severe offensive struggles. Brignac, the team’s opening day starter at shortstop, was batting just .193/.234/.219 with one home run, 10 RBIs, 15 runs, and a mere 36 hits in 68 games this year.
Here’s what manager Joe Maddon had to say about the move.
"We wanted to get Desmond up here and we wanted to get Brignac better offensively. There’s no question Reid is a Major League caliber shortstop without question. And I don’t like the idea of him not playing defense for us. But moving down the road we have to get better on the offensive side of the ball."
It’s clear that the Rays want to get better on the offensive side of the ball, so I don’t think there’s any question that this move makes the most sense. The Rays plan to make Desmond Jennings their everyday left-fielder, and it looks like he will be placed in the leadoff spot. It should be interesting to see if he can fulfill his incredible potential.
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