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Gillen is hitting .333 with four home runs, three steals and a 22.6 percent strikeout rate in eight games for High-A Bowling Green.
Gillen had an excellent first full season last year (151 wRC+ in 73 games at Single-A), save for the fact he didn't hit for much over-the-fence power (five home runs, .119 ISO). Less than 10 games into his first season at High-A and he's already one homer shy of tying his career high. Gillen leads the Sally league in ISO (.556) and wRC+ (251), but the Rays will likely keep him there for at least another couple months before challenging the 20-year-old center fielder with a bump to Double-A.
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Rays' Theo Gillen: Makes spring debut
Rotowire
Gillen (undisclosed) played three innings in center field and drew an eight-pitch walk in his lone plate appearance in Sunday's 5-3 loss to Atlanta in Grapefruit League play.
Gillen closed the 2025 campaign on Single-A Charleston's injured list due to an unspecified issue and has been limited to just 81 total games since being selected in the first round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, but the athletic outfielder reported to camp healthy and has drawn raves from the Rays' coaching staff. After Gillen impressed Sunday in his limited action in his spring debut, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he plans to have the 20-year-old play in a few more exhibitions prior to the end of camp. Gillen will likely head to Charleston or High-A Bowling Green for the start of the 2026 campaign.
Single-A Charleston placed Gillen on the 7-day injured list Aug. 16 due to an unspecified injury.
A 19-year-old outfielder, Gillen has submitted an impressive debut campaign in full-season ball, slashing .267/.433/.387 with 36 stolen bases in 39 attempts and a 20.8 percent walk rate. The Rays haven't indicated whether Gillen has any chance of playing again in 2025, but he's likely done enough during his time at Charleston to earn a bump up to High-A Bowling Green next season.
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Rays' Theo Gillen: Activated Sunday
Rotowire
Single-A Charleston activated Gillen (calf) from the 7-day injured list Sunday.
The No. 18 overall pick in 2024, Gillen went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a strikeout in his first game of the year for the RiverDogs. The 19-year-old center fielder has missed significant time due to injuries dating back to high school, but he was seen as one of the best prep hitters in last year's draft and has a chance to add notable power while stealing double-digit bases per season.
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Rays' Theo Gillen: Out with calf injury
Rotowire
Gillen is dealing with a calf injury and could join Single-A Charleston in three weeks, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
Gillen's first spring in pro ball was significantly limited by this calf injury, and he had shoulder surgery and dealt with knee and wrist injuries while in high school, so he's developing a track record of missing time. When healthy, he showed he was one of the best pure hitters from the prep ranks in the 2024 draft class. After selecting Gillen with the No. 18 overall pick, the Rays moved him from the infield to center field due to his fringe-average arm.
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