Rays Begin Process Of Clearing Roster Spots Ahead of November 19th Deadline
Follow @Steve_Kinsella1Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay Rays needed to clear a couple of roster spots ahead of the November 19th deadline to protect eligible players from the Rule 5 draft.
The Rays began that process today by trading Mike Brosseau to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor league reliever Evan Reifert who does not need to be added to the 40-man roster (nor is he Rule 5 draft eligible). The Rays 40-man roster now sits at 39 with one or two more moves probably required prior to the November 19th roster deadline.
Reifert, 22, went 3-3 2ith a 2.10 ERA in 37 appearances (all in relief) between the Brewers Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin squads. In 60-innings of work he struck out 103 batters (15.5 K/9) but walked 36 (5.4 BB/9). He was signed by Milwauke as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 Amatuer Draft, which was shortened to five round due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brosseau will always be remembered for his home run off Aroldis Chapman in the deciding 5th game of the 2020 ALDS. It was an iconic moment in franchise history magnified not only because of the Postseason moment but from the animosity between the pitcher and player after the head hunting incident in the regular season. The fact that Brosseau hit the homer on that stage in that moment on the 10th pitch of the at-bat made it all the more dramatic.
Brosseau struggled to find his footing in 2021 batting just .187/.266/.347 with 5 homers spanning 169 plate appearances. He was sent to the Durham Bulls where he played in 51 games and hit .218/.342/.382 spanning 202 plate appearances. He’ll now head over to the Milwaukee Brewers and will have an opportunity to work with a familiar face in Ozzie Timmons. Just last week Timmons departed the Rays to become the Brewers batting coach.
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