Rich

Thompson

The Royals couldn’t agree to a deal with the Pirates to keep Thompson. The Pirates paid the Royals $25,000 to take him back.

Thompson, 33, was hitting .307/.390/.398 with 11 RBI, seven stolen bases and a .788 OPS over his first 29 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. He hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2004 as a member of the Royals and will continue to serve as minor league depth with his new organization.

Zobrist is just getting the day off against the lefty Ricky Romero. Matt Joyce will make the start in right field Wednesday while Rich Thompson plays left.

Thompson was just acquired earlier in the day from the Phillies, and now we know why. The 33-year-old can play all three outfield positions and will give the Rays another bench option with Brandon Guyer going on the DL.

The Rays are recalling Thompson, Reid Brignac, Chris Gimenez, and Cesar Ramos. 33-year-old Thompson will back up at all three outfield spots.

He’ll take Brandon Gomes’ spot on the active roster. Thompson, 33, went just 1-for-16 (.063) with two stolen bases in his first taste of the big leagues earlier this season.

The 33-year-old, shipped from the Phillies to the Rays in a minor mid-May trade, can play all three outfield positions. He went just 1-for-16 (.063) with two stolen bases in his first taste of the big leagues earlier this season (Thompson played in 1,388 games in the minors before cracking Tampa Bay’s roster), however, and should be ignored in all formats.

Thompson, who previously had one plate appearance with the Royals back in 2004, is making his first major league start after playing 1,388 games in the minors. We aren’t expecting much from a fantasy perspective, but he’s quite the feel good story. Matt Joyce will take a seat Thursday against the left-hander Felix Doubront.

Thompson returns to a .307/.390/.398 line with 11 RBI and seven stolen bases over 29 games at the Triple-A level. Of course, those stats were accumulated with Lehigh Valley, with whom he played prior to being shipped from the Phillies to the Rays in a minor mid-May trade. The 33-year-old can play all three outfield positions and will continue to give the Rays injury insurance.