Rays outfielder was hit by a pitch during todays game against the Red Sox, which took place in the Dominican Republic as part of this springs Dominican Republic Series. Per , DeLuca was diagnosed with a broken right hand after undergoing an x-ray at a local hospital. Though Topkin notes that DeLuca is expected to undergo further evaluation when the club returns to Florida, he also adds that the typical recovery time for such an injury is at least 4-6 weeks. The injury news is a notable blow to a Rays that club figured to carry DeLuca as a right-handed complement to the likes of and in the outfield and DH mix headed into the regular season. Acquired from the Dodgers alongside right-hander in the trade back in December, DeLuca has just 45 big league plate appearances under his belt after hitting a roughly league average .262/.311/.429 in a cup of coffee with the Dodgers last summer but figured to have a larger role with the Rays this season, particularly given the departures of outfield options and via trade this winter. Those plans have been scuttled for the time being, however, as DeLuca now figures to mi s at least the first few weeks of Josh Simpson Jersey the regular season. With DeLuca out of action to open the season, the Rays may find themselves le s inclined to move right-handed slugger , who saw his name this winter but has remained in Tampa to this point. While the Rays are hardly averse to late-spring deals, having Ramirez himself from the Cubs just before Opening Day 2022, the lo s of DeLuca leaves the Rays short on outfield options to pair with the starting trio of , , and Josh Lowe. Ramirez can offer some insurance at the outfield corners while pairing well alongside Aranda at DH; while Aranda is a left-handed hitter who has hit a paltry .077/.250/.077 in limited playing time against southpaws in the big leagues, Ramirez crushed them to the tune of a .387/.411/.555 slash line last year. Of course, Ramirez was already all but a sured of a roster spot entering the season unle s the club managed to work out a trade, taking a spot on the bench alongside and a back-up catcher such as or . While DeLuca previously appeared to be a strong contender for that final spot on the bench, the club may now look to a young infielder such as or to replace DeLucas right-handed bat on the bench. Both Mead and Basabe made their major league debuts last year but posted below-average offensive numbers in brief cups of coffee with the big league club. If Tampa is content with Ramirez and Rosario as bench options against southpaws, however, the club could instead look to shore up its outfield mix by turning to a lefty-swinging outfielder such as or for its final bench spot. The switch-hitting Jones has yet to make his major league debut but hit well at the Triple-A level last year with a .278/.344/.468 slash line in 51 games, while Palacios impre sed with a 120 wRC+ in 102 trips to the plate with the Cardinals last year. Both Jones and Palacios boast experience in both the infield and the outfield, offering positional flexibility that could improve their value in a bench role for the club. Adam Oller Jersey