Jorge

Mateo

Walls expressed optimism while speaking to reporters that it’ll be a minimum stay on the injured list. The 30-year-old defensive specialist’s absence creates some issues for the AL East-leading Rays heading towards postseason as they’ll turn to journeyman Jorge Mateo as a temporary stopgap. They have former top prospect Carson Williams stationed at Triple-A Durham, but he simply hasn’t shown enough at the plate in the majors to be a realistic option.

It appears to be just a routine night off for the Rays’ shortstop. Jorge Mateo is set to start in his place and could wind up running wild against Rangers’ right-hander Cal Quantrill given his struggles to hold baserunners.

Since coming to Tampa Bay, Mateo has played exclusively against left-handed pitching, but he will get a start against a righty here. Mateo is just 3-for-17 in his seven games with the Rays and is unlikely to push Taylor Walls for the starting shortstop job.

He’ll be on the major league roster with Carson Williams optioned down. Mateo lost starting work to Jim Jarvis in early July and had mostly been a bench option since. He’ll probably be much the same in Tampa, though perhaps he’ll join a platoon.

Mateo presumably received interest from a number of contending clubs after being released by the Braves earlier this week. The 31-year-old’s defensive versatility and speed make him a quality bench option for the Rays heading towards the postseason.

It shouldn’t take Mateo very long to find a new home after being designated for assignment by Atlanta last week at the trade deadline. The 31-year-old’s speed and defensive versatility should make him a viable bench option on a contender.

Atlanta decided to move on from Mateo with Ha-Seong Kim back from the injured list after he hit .240/.285/.380 with four homers and 10 steals in 137 plate appearances this season. It’s possible he’ll attract some interest on waivers as a potential bench option somewhere else.

Kim has barely played for Atlanta recently with Jorge Mateo basically taking over the starting shortstop role. The 30-year-old has endured a brutal season at the dish, hitting .068 (5-for-73) with zero homers and one steal in 82 plate appearances since making his season debut back on May 12. It’ll be Mateo and rookie Jim Jarvis filling the void at shortstop in his absence.

Mateo had both the only extra-base hit and scored the only run for the Braves in this one. He also had three hard-hit balls and should find himself back in a starting role with Ronald Acuña Jr. headed back to the injured list and Mauricio Dubón shifting to the outfield, as he did in this game.

Kim is starting at shortstop for the second time in the last three games after sitting out for an extended stretch last week. Jorge Mateo seems to be getting a real chance to play everyday with Kim shifting into more of a bench role recently. He’s hit just .089 (4-for-45) with two RBI and one steal in 13 games since making his Atlanta debut last month.