What To Do On A Tampa Bay Rays Off-Day

The worst has come: the dreaded off-day is here. After giving your heart and soul to the Tampa Bay Rays the last ten games, there is no game to watch today as the Rays travel to Cincinnati for a series against the Reds. Even though it will be impossible to fill the void that a Tampa Bay Rays off-day leaves, you can still do plenty to keep your mind occupied until the Rays are back in action tomorrow.

Keep up with the division opponents

Even though the Rays aren’t playing, you can take this time to get scout their division rivals. The Toronto Blue Jays will take on the Houston Astros at 7:07 ET. If you can get by the fact that this might be one of the more boring games to watch in recent memory, you can get a good look at what the Rays will be up against when they next take on the Blue Jays. The better option is probably to watch the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox square away in Yankee Stadium at 7:05 ET. This way, you can get watch the Rays’ two biggest division rivals at the same time. Also, this is the best rivalry in baseball, so you get the added benefit of watching a usually thrilling matchup.

Take a look at how the minor league squads are doing

The Rays’ minor league affiliates are rarely on TV, so it is easy to get behind on keeping up with how they are doing. With some extra time on your hands tonight, you can finally catch up with how all of the Rays’ prospects have fared in the early going (a good place to start is Rays Colored Glasses’ daily minor league recaps, called “The Undercards”). Even if you are not a huge fan of prospects, it is still fun to take a look at the players who could become the Rays’ next stars. Also, there are plenty of unheralded players in Triple-A that could have an impact on the big league team this season who are worth taking a look at. Catching up with the minor league squads is more than enough to keep you busy from the time you get off work/school until the Yankees-Red Sox or Astros-Blue Jays game comes on.

Keep track of the Rays’ news

Even though there is an off day, plenty of news is expected. As Marc Topkin notes, the Rays are still weighing all of their options on how to proceed with Matt Moore‘s UCL injury. Tommy John surgery is a possibility, but the Rays could also try rest and rehab. As they continue to discuss what to do, we could very well hear an announcement today on their plans. Also noted by Topkin, reliever Jeff Beliveau was sent back down to Triple-A by the Rays following last night’s game. The Rays are expected to call-up a position player to make double-switches easier in their interleague series with the Reds. This player will also probably be a left-handed hitter, as the Rays’ one bench flaw is their lack of lefties. The news of who will be called up is expected today or tomorrow, and we could see the likes of Kevin Kiermaier, Vince Belnome, Wilson Betemit, or many others making the move from Triple-A to the MLB.

The Rays do not play a game today, but there is still plenty to keep yourself busy with. Nothing can replace the thrills that come with a Rays’ game, but hopefully with these tips, you can keep your sanity until the big league squad is back in action tomorrow.