James Loney is lonely. The Rays informed the first baseman that he would not be included on the club’s Opening Day roster, adding they would either trade or release him, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Loney was zen about his situation. Per Topkin, Loney said, “It had to be somebody (to go), right? ... It is what it is. ... I think it’s going to work out the best for me.’'
Entering his 11th season in the majors, Loney turns 32 years old in May. He had the worst offensive season of his career last year, batting .280/.322/.357 with four home runs and 32 RBI in 388 plate appearances for the Rays.
Logan Morrison and Steve Pearce will handle first base in Tampa now that Loney is out of the picture.