It was just reported that the Rays have called up AAA outfielder Desmond Jennings. Finally. Here is the tweet from Rays beat reporter Marc Topkin from the St. Petersburg Times:
SPTimesRays Marc Topkin#Rays Jennings called up, Brignac optioned to durham
Jennings has been talked about here and elsewhere as a potential midseason call up, but I thought it would have happened much sooner. Jennings was hitting .275-.374-.456 with 12 HRs, 19 doubles, 3 triples, 39 RBIs, 68 runs and 17 SBs at AAA Durham. The Rays optioned Reid Brignac to AAA Durham to make room for Jennings, so it appears Jennings will be the everyday left fielder for the rest of the season.
Or will he? There is speculation that Rays centerfielder B.J. Upton may be traded, and he was pulled during the Rays game last night, so a trade may be in the works. Adam Kilgore from the Washington Post tweeted last night that the Nationals had been scouting the Rays earlier this week, and have been saying as far back as last season that they are in the market for a centerfielder.
Could the Rays be looking at Nationals catching prospect Derek Norris in return for Upton? Possibly, as Norris is currently blocked by Wilson Ramos in the big leagues.