Rays acquire Minor League infielder Gray from White Sox

With their infield depleted by injuries, the Rays turned to a familiar face to upgrade their depth on Saturday.

Tampa Bay acquired infielder Tristan Gray from the White Sox for cash considerations and added him to the active roster in Cincinnati. To make room for Gray, the Rays designated utility man Coco Montes for assignment.

TRADE DETAILS
Rays receive: INF Tristan Gray
White Sox receive: Cash considerations

Gray has spent this season with Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox system, slashing .270/.333/.472 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs in 72 games. The 29-year-old has lined up at all four infield spots, and he has plenty of experience at every position on the dirt.

The Rays also have plenty of experience with Gray, as they initially acquired him in February 2018 from the Pirates (who drafted him in ’17) as part of their return for outfielder Corey Dickerson. Gray came up through the Rays’ system and debuted for Tampa Bay on Sept. 16, 2023. Since ’23, Gray has bounced from the Marlins to the Athletics to the Pirates to the White Sox.

“I spent six years here, and there's so many amazing faces here and great people,” Gray said before Saturday’s game in Cincinnati. “So, you know, I've been up with a couple other teams, and just being able to see familiar faces and guys that you've grinded with before is just amazing.”

Gray has only played in 17 big league games, going 5-for-33 with 16 strikeouts.

With second baseman Brandon Lowe (left foot/ankle) and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (lower back) at least temporarily sidelined by injuries, the Rays can use Gray as a backup behind shortstop Taylor Walls and infielder José Caballero, with the potential to play at third or first if needed.

“Excited to have him back,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He was certainly a teammate favorite and staff favorite through his time as a Ray and Durham Bull, and then [he] had a big game against Baltimore a couple years ago. We're getting ready to face some big split righties that are really tough on right handed hitters. Maybe lefties have sometimes had a better answer for him. So, he's going to get some opportunities to play. He can play all four infield spots, probably second base.”

Gray found out Friday night in Nashville, where Gray was playing on the road with the Charlotte Knights, the White Sox Triple-A affiliate.

“[I was] in Nashville, Sonesta Hotel by the airport,” Gray recalled. “So, then I started figuring out what I was gonna do the next day, how to get there, and just panicking. I took the airport shuttle, and then flew to the Cincinnati or North Kentucky [airport], easy flight. The air conditioning on the flight wasn't really working, so I was sweating a little bit, yeah. So I'm loose, ready to go.”

The Rays placed Kim on the injured list on Friday and reinstated outfielder Jonny DeLuca from the IL. That gave them plenty of coverage on the grass, as DeLuca joined Chandler Simpson, Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum and Christopher Morel in the outfield mix.

Montes was recalled Wednesday for his fourth stint with the Rays, but they used him sparingly in those stints. The 28-year-old infielder/outfielder totaled only 10 plate appearances in five games, and he played only 26 innings in the field.