Triple-A Durham placed Basabe on its 7-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured right wrist, Triple-A Durham radio play-by-play broadcaster Patrick Kinas reports.
Basabe suffered the injury Tuesday, when he was hit by a pitch in his lone plate appearance during Durham's 7-4 loss to Worcester. The Rays haven't indicated whether Basabe's injury will require surgery, but given that he throws and bats from the right side, he'll likely be headed for a multi-week absence even if he doesn't require a procedure. Basabe, who appeared in 31 games for Tampa Bay last season and retains a spot on the Rays' 40-man roster, was hitting .224/.270/.276 over 63 plate appearances with Durham before being shut down with the injury.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Sent packing to Triple-A
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The Rays optioned Basabe to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe was in competition for a reserve infielder role but never got going this spring (5-for-26). He still figures to spend a good amount of time with the big club this season but for now will go to Durham where he will play with regularity.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Back in lineup
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Basabe (head) is starting at shortstop and batting eighth in Friday's spring game against the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 23-year-old suffered a head injury while making a headfirst slide during Tuesday's contest, and he'll return to action Friday after taking the past couple days to recover. Basabe had a .218/.277/.310 slash line over 31 games in his first taste of the majors last season and is likely to open 2024 at Triple-A Durham.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Should return to lineup by weekend
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Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that Basabe (head) should be available to play in Grapefruit League games beginning Friday or Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe was removed from Tuesday's game against the Yankees after hitting his head while sliding into third base, but he seems to have avoided a concussion. The Tampa Bay medical staff cleared him to resume baseball activities Thursday, so if all goes well in his workout, he should return to the spring lineup this weekend.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Banged up on slide
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Basabe was removed from Tuesday's spring game against the Yankees after he suffered an apparent injury while making a headfirst slide into third base, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe was slow to get up before being helped off the field by training staff. The 23-year-old should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Pulled with sore shoulder
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Basabe was removed from Friday's loss to the Blue Jays with left shoulder soreness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe fell hard on his shoulder while diving for a ball at third base, and it's unclear what his availability might be for the Rays' final two regular-season games. The 23-year-old was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts prior to his early exit.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Short-term opportunity
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Basabe is starting at shortstop and hitting eighth Saturday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Taylor Walls (personal) will be away from the team for the next couple of games, leaving Basabe as the most likely candidate to stand in at shortstop. Across his first 74 plate appearances in the majors, Basabe has maintained a .221/.284/.324 line with one home run, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Losing work to Taylor Walls
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Basabe is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe is on the bench for a second straight game and appears to have lost hold of the everyday role at shortstop after Taylor Walls was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday. Though Basabe manned shortstop in Friday's 3-2 loss, Walls will pick up a second consecutive start Sunday in place of the rookie. Since he was called up from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 12 to replace Wander Franco (personal) as the Rays' primary option at shortstop, Basabe has slashed .250/.316/.365 with one home run and nine RBI across his first 57 big-league plate appearances.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Set to lose work
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Basabe went 1-for-4 Friday against the Guardians.
Basabe has played an everyday role at shortstop with Wander Franco on administrative leave and has performed fairly well across 16 games, maintaining a .255 average with one home run, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. However, Taylor Walls (oblique) was activated from the injured list Friday and per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, he will serve as the Rays' starting shortstop. Meanwhile, Basabe will shift to a utility role and will almost certainly lose out on playing time.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Not in Tuesday's lineup
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Basabe is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.
Basabe started the past four games and will take a seat Tuesday after going 2-for-10 with an RBI and a caught stealing. Vidal Brujan will handle shortstop and bat sixth versus Miami ace Sandy Alcantara.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Gets Wednesday off
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Basabe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe will head to the bench for the first time since being called up from Triple-A Durham and taking over as the Rays' everyday shortstop after Wander Franco was placed on the restricted list. The 22-year-old is off to a hot start to his big-league career, going 10-for-33 (.303 average) with a home run, three doubles, eight RBI and eight runs through his first eight games. Though Isaac Paredes will pick up a start at shortstop, Basabe should have a clear path to a regular spot in the lineup while Franco remains away from the team for the foreseeable future.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Cranks first big-league homer
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Basabe went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 12-4 blowout victory over Colorado.
Basabe capped off an eight-run, eighth-inning rally with his first major-league home run, a grand slam to left. The 22-year-old shortstop has hit safely in six of his first eight career games, with three doubles, one homer, eight RBI and eight runs scored across 33 at-bats since getting promoted from Triple-A on Aug. 12.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Notches first three-hit game
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Basabe went 4-for-9 with two doubles, a walk, three runs and two RBI across both games of a doubleheader split versus the Angels on Saturday.
Basabe notched a hit and scored a run in the matinee before breaking through with three knocks in the nightcap. Two of those hits went for a double, both of which knocked in a run. That Basabe started both games of the twin bill emphasizes the near-everyday role he has settled into since his promotion from the minors Aug. 12. He's slashed .286/.355/.393 with three doubles, six runs and four RBI over seven contests since the call-up.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Settling into role
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Basabe went 2-for-5 with a run scored Friday against the Angels.
Basabe has started all five games at shortstop since being promoted by the Rays and has consistently hit in the bottom third of the order. Friday's performance marked the first multi-hit performance of his career, and he's gone 4-for-19 overall. Basabe also has seven strikeouts and only one extra-base hit, though it appears that he'll have the chance to work through any additional development at the big-league level.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Will 'get opportunity to play'
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Basabe will be Tampa Bay's primary shortstop during their six-game road trip that ends Sunday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Fellow shortstop Wander Franco was placed on the restricted list Monday, and Basabe will "get an opportunity to play" in the days ahead, per general manager Erik Neander. Basabe is one of Tampa Bay's top prospects, and before going 1-for-3 with a double and a run in his big-league debut Sunday, he hit .294 and posted a .769 OPS over 94 games with Triple-A Durham.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Called up Saturday
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Basabe was called up from Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
Basabe appears set to make his major-league debut in the near future after he produced a .294 average with four homers, 57 RBI, 45 runs and 16 stolen bases over 384 at-bats with Durham this season. The shortstop is one of Tampa Bay's top prospects and could be asked to play multiple infield positions while with the big-league club.
Basabe was optioned to minor-league camp by the Rays on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Basabe was added to the 40-man roster over the winter after a breakout 2022 season, though he was never a real option to make the Rays out of spring training. The 22-year-old did slash an impressive .324/.385/.462 with 21 steals last season, and even with Tampa Bay's impressive infield depth, he could be an option for the club at some point in 2023.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Joining 40-man roster
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Basabe was added to the Ray's 40-man roster Tuesday.
Basabe posted a .324/.385/.462 slash line between the High-A and Double-A levels last season, and Tampa Bay opted to move him to the 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 22-year-old could open 2023 at Double-A, but it shouldn't be long before he's up with the Triple-A club.
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Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Showing no power in Double-A
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Basabe has hit .288/.361/.374 with zero home runs, five steals and a 15:18 BB:K through 34 games since being promoted to Double-A Montgomery in late June.
He at least managed to hit four homers and post a .463 slugging percentage over 55 games in High-A ahead of the promotion, but the higher level has served only to highlight Basabe's lack of power. Basabe is essentially a high-contact slap hitter -- he doesn't strike out much and offers good-but-not-great speed on the bases. There could be a place for that in the major leagues, but Basabe is profiling like a utility player who offers little in the way of fantasy value.
