Randy Arozarena shows he can still turn season around after great month of June
It has not exactly been the year Tampa Bay Rays star Randy Arozarena expected in 2024. However, what he did in June is a good sign of what he can do to turn it around as the summer progresses for the Rays.
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Randy Arozarena's statline into the first few days of July is not what baseball fans expect out of Tampa Bay's star. He is batting .196 with an on-base percentage just north of .300. His slugging percentage is also sitting at a career low .353. This is very uncommon and strange for a power hitter like himself, as the beginning of the 2024 season represented a prolonged struggle.
However, this June was a good one for Arozarena, who really stepped up his hitting in a lot of categories. During that span, he batted .291 while maintaining home run, RBI, and walk totals similar to his previous months. He did this in around a dozen fewer at-bats than he had in April and May. His OPS also took a nice leap in June up to .893 from the abysmal .358 he posted in April.
The biggest statistical jump that Arozarena took in June was represented in his on-base percentage, which was .424. This took a massive jump from his April and May totals, which were .194 and .299 respectively. This can really be beneficial for the Rays offense because of how fast Arozarena is and how much of a steal threat he can be when he gets on base with reckless abandon.
Randy Arozarena's June surge set Tampa Bay Rays up for success
Tampa Bay got a different-looking left fielder in June than they did the first few months of the season. Arozarena's surge seems to be paying dividends for his teammates, as the team is playing much better ball recently. The Rays have won nine of their last twelve games to finally get above .500, as they currently are in the midst of a mid-week series with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
If the Rays can continue to see offensive production from Arozarena like they did in June, it just makes them that much better and competitive within this tight American League Wild Card race, where they've been forced to battle against an always tough slare of AL East comeptition. Hopefully, Arozarena's improved play at the plate remains a factor through July, and the remainder of the summer as a whole, to keep the Rays right in the thick of where they want to be.
Tampa Bay looks to take the series and possibly get a sweep against the Royals on the road with two games remaining in Missouri.