Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    Richie Palacios knocks in two in 3-2 win over M’s

    Link copied to clipboard!
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Richie Palacios went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a walk Saturday as the Rays edged the Mariners 3-2.

    Relying on seven relievers, the Rays were able to limit Seattle to two runs even after the late scratch of Griffin Jax with an elbow issue. Palacios walked and stole a base in the third, doubled in the fifth and then had the game’s biggest hit, a two-run single, in the sixth. He’s batting .231/.333/.349 in 277 plate appearances as the Rays’ primary second baseman against righties. It wasn’t supposed to be this way; the team sent him down in spring training, only to recall him prior to Opening Day because Gavin Lux was hurt.
Culpepper will be viable in fantasy 'right away'
James Schiano looks at what fantasy managers can expect from Kaelen Culpepper, the "slick-fielding" shortstop who is capable of making a fantasy impact in his debut and beyond.

Related Player News

  • TB Left Fielder #14
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Rays manager Kevin Cash divulged Friday that Simpson has been playing through a thumb contusion that he suffered earlier this week. The 25-year-old speedster figures to avoid a trip to the injured list, but that’s hardly a lock. He’ll get some extra time off to rest and hopefully put the issue to bed. Richie Palacios is in left field with Victor Mesa Jr. in the opposite corner on Saturday afternoon. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Sunday’s series finale in Miami.
  • TB 2nd Baseman #1
    Palacios gave the Rays their first two runs of the night when he smacked a two-RBI triple to right-center field in the first inning to give the Rays the early lead. Palacios has tripled twice in his last six games, but is just 3-for-15 in the early parts of June. He’s cooled off quite a bit after a strong May, so we’ll see if he can bounce back in some capacity in the coming days.
  • TB 2nd Baseman #1
    With runners on the corners, Palacios came up clutch with a two-RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Rays a 3-1 lead. It was the first lead of the night for the Rays, which proved to be enough to secure the win and extend their lead over the Yankees in the AL East. Palacios has now hit in four-straight games while driving in a run in each of those games as well. He continues to play welll with Ben Williamson (back) sidelined and is slashing .342/.432/.395 on the month.
  • TB 2nd Baseman #1
    It was Yandy Dìaz, who finished 2-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBI, that did the heavy lifting for Tampa Bay before leaving the contest after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning. Palacios added a key insurance run with two outs in the eighth when he drilled an RBI double to right field off lights-out reliever Rico Garcia that somehow managed to drop out of Colton Cowser’s glove as he collided with the wall. The versatile 29-year-old should continue seeing time at second base with Ben Williamson (back) out of the lineup.
  • TB 2nd Baseman #15
    Williamson hasn’t played since last Friday due to ongoing back tightness. It’s unclear whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but the Rays are going to carry him on the bench for now in the hopes that the issue clears up without an extended layoff. It’ll be Richie Palacios at second base on Tuesday night in his place.
  • TB Right Fielder #17
    Fraley was scratched from Saturday’s lineup with an undisclosed injury. Jacob Melton is hurt in Triple-A, so Carson Williams might be the choice to replace Fraley on the Tampa Bay roster. Richie Palacios, who has been mostly starting at second base, could move to right field to replace Fraley, opening up infield starts for Williams and Ben Williamson.
  • TB 3rd Baseman #13
    Caminero left the contest shortly after fouling a ball off home plate that bounced up and struck him on the right side of the face. He managed to stay in to complete the at-bat, but immediately went down the tunnel with a trainer afterwards and was replaced at third base by Richie Palacios. He finished 0-for-1. The 22-year-old superstar will head for X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status following the contest.
  • TB Left Fielder #1
    Palacios, who was set to open the season in Triple-A before Gavin Lux was placed on the IL, has been on base eight times in 18 plate appearances and gone 2-for-3 stealing bases. The Rays might as well keep starting him against righties, whether it’s at second base or in the outfield. They could drop Ryan Villade or maybe Carson Williams when Lux returns.
  • TB Shortstop #7
    The rookie has struggled to start the season, going 3-for-19 with six strikeouts and one walk. The Rays had also demoted him to Triple-A before Taylor Walls (oblique) got injured, so Williams’ hold on the job may not be overly strong. Ben Williamson will shift to shortstop with Richie Palacios entering the starting lineup at second base and batting ninth.
  • TB Left Fielder #1
    Palacios makes Tampa Bay’s season-opening roster with Gavin Lux (shoulder) opening up on the injured list. The 28-year-old’s versatility makes him an impactful bench player for the Rays but he doesn’t offer any fantasy appeal.

Rotoworld

  • Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Richie Palacios went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a walk Saturday as the Rays edged the Mariners 3-2.

    Relying on seven relievers, the Rays were able to limit Seattle to two runs even after the late scratch of Griffin Jax with an elbow issue. Palacios walked and stole a base in the third, doubled in the fifth and then had the game’s biggest hit, a two-run single, in the sixth. He’s batting .231/.333/.349 in 277 plate appearances as the Rays’ primary second baseman against righties. It wasn’t supposed to be this way; the team sent him down in spring training, only to recall him prior to Opening Day because Gavin Lux was hurt.
  • TB Relief Pitcher #47
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Bryan Baker turned in a scoreless ninth in a 3-2 game for his 34th save Saturday against the Mariners.

    Someone fire off an arrow: Baker has converted 23 straight save chances, breaking the Rays record of 22 in a row set by Fernando Rodney in 2012. He has four more saves than anyone else in the majors.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #68
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    George Kirby was lifted after five innings of one-run ball Saturday against the Rays.

    The Mariners really needed one more inning out of Kirby tonight, but it wasn’t in the cards with him requiring 99 pitches to get 15 outs. Michael Rucker ended up allowing two unearned runs in the sixth and taking the loss in a 3-2 game. Kirby remained 8-9 with a 3.68 ERA ahead of a start next Friday against the Astros.
  • SEA 1st Baseman #12
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Josh Naylor hit two homers and doubled in the 3-2 loss to the Rays on Saturday.

    Naylor had 10 total bases tonight. The rest of the Mariners had five, all on singles. It’s Naylor’s seventh career two-homer game and the first to come in a loss. He has 10 homers on the season.
  • HOU Center Fielder #26
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Taylor Trammell went 1-for-2 with a solo home run against the Padres on Saturday.

    Trammell’s home run was his seventh of the year. He pummeled a high fastball from Michael King over the wall in right-center in the second inning. Trammell was pinch hit for in the seventh inning when the Padres brought in left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon with two men on and two outs. He’s hitting .236 with a .742 OPS and 20 RBI this year.
  • LAD Right Fielder #23
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Kyle Tucker hit a solo homer in the eighth inning to help the Dodgers to a win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

    It looked like Tucker was going to have the go-ahead homer, as it gave the Didodgers a 1-0 lead late in the contest. Edwin Diaz didn’t allow that to happen with another blown save, but it does come in a victory, and it does give Tucker 11 homers on the season.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • AZ Right Fielder #7
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Corbin Carroll hit a game-tying RBI triple in the ninth inning, but the Diamondbacks fell in an extra-inning loss to the Dodgers on Saturday.

    After Geraldo Perdomo put the tying run at third with a triple of his own, Carroll hit his 13th three-bagger of the year to to score Perdomo and tie the game at 1-1. He also drew a walk to improve his slash to a still-disappointing .242.337/.469. You can certainly do worse, but Carroll’s talent creates higher expectations than that type of line, even with the triples.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #17
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Shohei Ohtani drove in the game-winning run on a single in the 10th inning to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

    Ohtani hit a grounder that Tim Tawa couldn’t corral with two outs to give the Dodgers the lead, and ultimately the victory. The 32-year-old has driven in 71 runs on the season, and this one helps the Dodgers snap a seven-game losing streak.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • LAD Relief Pitcher #86
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Jack Dreyer worked a scoreless inning against the Diamondbacks on Friday to convert a save.

    After Edwin Díaz was unable to convert the save in the ninth — again — Dreyer came on and was able to escape a first-and-third jam to procure his first save of 2026. While he hasn’t been used to close out games and likely won’t be asked to do so many more times if at all, he’s done a nice job as seen in his 2.86 ERA on the season.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • LAD Relief Pitcher #3
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Edwin Díaz allowed a run and blew a save against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, but was credited with the win.

    Oh dear. Díaz was handed a one-run lead, and it almost immediately went away with the right-hander giving up back-to-back triples to give him yet another blown save. Those looking for the glass to be half full can point to the 32-year-old getting out of the inning without giving up the winning run, but those who want that glass to be closer to empty are within their rights. Yes it’s been somewhat due to injuries, but it’s hard to call what Díaz has done in 2026 anything but a disaster. A 10.80 ERA in August is pretty hard to argue against.
    - Christopher Crawford