Jonathan

Aranda

Aranda broke up a potential shutout with an RBI double to center field against Cubs reliever Phil Maton in the eighth inning. The 27-year-old first baseman has gotten off to an encouraging start at the dish, batting .244 (11-for-45) with three homers and 10 RBI through 11 games.

Aranda smacked an RBI double off of Dustin May in the fourth inning that extended the Rays’ lead to 5-1. He also chipped in a run-scoring single in the seventh inning that made it 8-4. With the three-hit attack, the 27-year-old is now hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a homer and four RBI through his first three ballgames.

Aranda got the Rays on the board in this one with a 405-foot (101.2 mph EV) solo shot off of Matthew Liberatore in the fifth inning that tied the game at 1-1. He also singled and drew a walk in the contest, reaching base safely in three of his five plate appearances. The 27-year-old hit third for the Rays in this one, which is a spot that will surely increase his counting stats throughout the season if he’s able to stick there.

The Rays’ lineup would probably work best if one of their lefties from the group of Chandler Simpson, Gavin Lux, Cedric Mullins or Jake Fraley stepped up and took over the leadoff spot, but for now, it looks like they’ll go with Yandy Diaz leading off and Aranda right behind him. Still unclear is whether Junior Caminero will hit third, which he did Tuesday, or if he’ll occupy the cleanup spot, which is where he’s been in most of his starts. They Rays had Lux batting third in between Aranda and Caminero on Friday. Ryan Vilade was there today, but he’s only expected to play against lefties. Fraley and Mullins have hit fifth and sixth, respectively, behind Caminero the last two days.

With Harry Ford homering in the fourth, Great Britain kept this one tight until the end, but Aranda’s 346-foot homer into the Crawford Boxes in Houston’s Daikin Park settled matters. Mexico then added four runs in the ninth before Great Britain surprisingly pushed one across against Andrés Muñoz in the bottom of the inning. Javier Assad started for Mexico and pitched 3 2/3 scoreless frames. Nacho Alvarez Jr. homered for Mexico’s only run through seven innings.

Aranda’s only hit of the game came in the top of the sixth as he led off the inning with a solo homer off Yariel Rodríguez. It was the only run the Rays would score in Saturday’s loss to the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old slugger had breakout season interrupted by a fractured wrist, hitting 14 homers with 56 RBI while slashing .315/.393/.490 across 417 plate appearances.

Aranda launched a solo homer — his 13th round-tripper of the season — on Friday in his return from the injured list after missing exactly two months recovering from a fractured wrist. The 27-year-old breakout slugger’s extended absence adversely impacted Tampa Bay’s playoff chances as he would’ve helped stabilize the middle of the lineup behind rising superstar Junior Caminero. He appears fully healthy and on track for a normal offseason. He’ll be a borderline top-15 range first baseman in fantasy drafts next spring.

Aranda has been swinging the bat, but with the minor league season over, he’s having to return from a fractured wrist without playing in any rehab games. It sounds like he’ll probably make starts this weekend. The 27-year-old was hitting .316/.394/.478 in 309 plate appearances before getting hurt on a play at first base.

Assuming that goes well, Aranda could be activated for Thursday’s series finale against the Orioles. The 27-year-old breakout first baseman has been on the shelf since he fractured his left wrist back in early August. The Rays aren’t going to the postseason, but Aranda will get back for their final few games and should be a full-go heading into the offseason.

Aranda’s health coming out of the impending session will likely determine whether he returns for the final week of the regular season. The 27-year-old first baseman is working his way back from a fractured left wrist that put him on the shelf back in early August. He’s unlikely to make an impact for fantasy purposes in the final week outside of extremely deep mixed leagues.