Twins add 2 former Rays in the span of a week

Congratulations to the newest expansion team, the Minnesota Rays. At the moment, six members of their 40-man roster were recently part of the Rays organization and that doesn't even include their newest manager, Derek Shelton. Shelton was a hitting coach in Tampa from 2010-2016 before he moved into a managerial role with the Pirates. He's now a part of the Twins' story as they flood their roster with former Rays.

Twins add former Rays infielders Tristan Gray and Vidal Brujan

Among the other former Rays on the current roster, Minnesota also recently added Tristan Gray and Vidal Brujan. Brujan was originally signed by the Rays at the age of 16. The Dominican speedster spent nearly seven seasons in the Tampa Bay farm system before making his long awaited debut in 2021. However, the switch-hitting infielder received only 26 at-bats that season, picking up two hits and one stolen base. The Rays banked on some unlucky numbers in a very small sample size, but Brujan never panned out for the Rays roster. In three seasons, Vidal Brujan produced a -1.6 WAR in Tampa as his batting average was an abysmal .157 in 99 games. Ever since leaving the Rays, the 27-year-old athlete has appeared on four different clubs and will now be trying to crack a roster with the Twins.

Tristan Gray was originally drafted by the Pirates in 13th round of the 2017 draft. Before making his debut in Pittsburgh, the Pirates traded him to the Rays for outfielder Corey Dickerson. Gray hovered in the minors for a while as the Rays looked for an opportunity to add him to the big league roster. During that span, fantastic infielders Willy Adames and Wander Franco were employed by the Rays, making it difficult for Tristan Gray to find playing time. However, his time finally came in 2023 as the left-handed slugger appeared in five games for the Rays. He went 2-for-5 and one of his hits was a monumental home run against the division rival Orioles.

The 6'1 middle infielder rejoined the Rays clubhouse this past season. He was able to record career-high stats in nearly every category as the Texas native played in 30 MLB games and hit .231 with three homers. Immediately following the 2025 season, the front office dealt Gray to the Red Sox for reliever Luis Guerrero. However, the Red Sox felt the pressure of acquiring depth at catcher, so they traded him to the Twins for 24-year-old backstop Nate Baez.

After losing generational talent Carlos Correa in his return to the Astros, the middle infield picture in Minnesota looks pretty wide open. Brooks Lee will likely get the nod as the starting shortstop on Opening Day, but Gray can fill at nearly any infield position, so expect him to get some decent exposure if his bat continues to stay steady.