Jennings Gets the Call, Upton Coincidentally Pulled

Oh the frenzy of speculation! I wish I had jotted down the tweets but if you follow the Rays, I’m sure you already know and were speculating yourself.

Desmond Jennings was pulled from his start at Durham last night and instantly, it was assumed B.J. Upton had been traded. It didn’t help matters that Joe Maddon pulled Upton towards the end of the game.

From Marc Topkin’s Twitter feed:

@SPTimesRays: #Rays Maddon unaware he caused Twitter/Internet frenzy by pulling Upton from game after word got out of possible Jennings move.

Oops! Joe Maddon is never, ever boring!

More tweets from Marc Topkin:

SPTimesRays: There’s been no announcement of anything, but #Rays OF prospect Desmond Jennings was pulled from Durham lineup – healthy – 1 hr b4 game

SPTimesRays: #Rays Upton just said he has NOT been traded. No word on move yet, but Brignac was in Maddon’s office

*Oh, how does Reid Brignac fit into this?

SPTimesRays: #Rays Jennings called up, Brignac optioned to durham

*That was the ah-ha moment for me, when it all made sense. Sean Rodriguez got the start at short last night.

SPTimesRays: #Rays Maddon says decision was based on “Desmond earning an opportunity to be here, period.”

SPTimesRays: #Rays Upton, on leaving clubhouse tonight in KC: “See you guys tomorrow, hopefully.”

*I can’t imagine what it is like for the players where trade rumors are concerned. We can all sit here and speculate and play GM at our computers, but these guys don’t know where they might be headed next.

Some questions were answered by Marc Topkin. You can see the conversation on his Twitter page.

Question: Is Ruggiano out of options?

SPTimesRays: >> Yes.

Question: Jennings to start tomorrow?

SPTimesRays: Yes, batting leadoff and playing left

Comment: but that doesn’t answer why upton was pulled

SPTimesRays: But it answers that he was not traded. He said Damon wanted to play in field

*That answers the question then. I was wondering too.

SPTimesRays: #Rays Maddon said Johnson and S-Rod will split time at SS based on matchups. Brignac got dressed and left after getting news

*That was the last tweet from topkin as of this morning. I feel bad for Brignac but I’m sure he’s well aware of the fact that he just needs some fine tuning at the plate. His defense is incredible and I will miss it. I’m sure we’ll be seeing him again very, very soon.

For the most part, I really dislike the trade time of year. I tend to think I like facts and not rumor, but I must admit, that was rather fun last night on Twitter, “watching” the news unfold. I always wait for Marc Topkin though, since he’s right there with the team and I trust his facts. For more up to the minute Rays news, check out the St. Petersburg blog, The Heater.

So what does lay in store for Upton now that Jennings has made it to the show? What will happen to Sam Fuld if Jennings is playing in left field? If there is anything I’ve learned from following the Rays, we are in for a surprise. It seems that rumors tend to divert us from what is really happening behind the scenes. The Rays have an abundance of outfielders now. Could Matt Joyce be in the mix for trades? I hope not! The only certainty is that it’s going to be an interesting week.

Discussion is just a tweet away! @Raynaadi
also be sure to like us on Facebook!