Rays' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Preview | Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Josh Lowe, Christopher Morel, Ha-Seong Kim and More

Let's continue our fantasy baseball team previews with the Tampa Bay Rays. We'll cover the hitters in this story - check back soon for the writeup on the team's pitchers.

We've already covered the Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers) and Chicago White Sox (hitters and pitchers).

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

Top Fantasy Hitters

There's several Tampa Bay hitters appearing on the Average Draft Position list so far.

The top-drafted Ray this season is Junior Caminero, who is going around pick 117 so far.

Yandy Diaz is next, going around pick 141. Josh Lowe is going around pick 147.

Christopher Morel is next and goes around pick 167. Ha-Seong Kim and Jose Caballero are going around picks 182-183.

Caminero is the top Tampa Bay hitter despite playing just 50 MLB games across two seasons. He has a .246 average, .296 on-base percentage, seven home runs, 25 RBIs, two stolen bases and 19 runs scored so far. Those numbers across a 162-game season are pretty strong, but not having seen the 21-year-old much, it makes him a risky fantasy pick.

If I landed him in a draft, I'd definitely try to pick another third baseman, just in case Caminero does not live up to the hype. He could be a big-time draft steal if he lives up to the lofty expectations he had as a highly-regarded prospect.

Diaz was the top Tampa Bay fantasy hitter in points leagues a season ago, but had a down season and was a draft bust. In 145 games, Diaz had a .281 average and .341 OBP, with 14 home runs, 65 RBIs, no stolen bases and 55 runs scored. Almost every single hitting stat was down from a big 2023 season.

He's projected to lead off for the Rays, so he's in a good spot for a fantasy hitter. The Rays' lineup doesn't have a ton of talent though, so Diaz will need to put up better numbers this season in order to be a standard league keeper all season.

Lowe has dealt with injuries during his four-year MLB career, having only topped 130 games once. In 106 games last season, Lowe had a .241 average, .302 OBP, 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, 25 stolen bases and 37 runs scored. His career marks are better, so he's a bounceback candidate.

He's expected to hit in the heart of the team's order, so he'll have opportunities to deliver good fantasy numbers. There's some upside in picking Lowe, but with durability issues and a lackluster team around him, Lowe could also turn out to be a wasted pick. That late in a fantasy draft though, I'm OK taking a gamble on him.

Morel was traded from the Cubs to the Rays last July. In 152 games total last season, he had a .196 average and .288 OBP. Morel hit 21 home runs, drove in 60 runs, stole eight bases and scored 56 runs.

The low batting average is hard for fantasy owners to take on, but some power and speed makes him somewhat desirable. I personally think he's just a deep-league option, but am fine using one of my last standard league picks on him in case he breaks out a bit this season.

Kim spent the first four years of his career with the Padres. He's not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but also shouldn't miss a ton of time. 

In 121 games last season, Kim posted career lows (or near career worsts) in several numbers, including his average (.233) and OBP (.330). He had 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and 60 runs scored. 

Factoring in his injury, there's no reason to draft Kim in standard leagues, unless you have unlimited IR spots. You can just pick him up when he's nearing a return to the field. I think he'll be usable in deeper leagues, and a standard league streamer at times once he's healthy.

Caballero can play all over the field and his biggest fantasy asset is his speed. In 149 games last season, Caballero had a .227 average, .283 OBP, nine home runs, 44 RBIs, 44 stolen bases and 53 runs scored.

He's just a deep-league option to me at the start of the season, and FanGraphs isn't even projecting him to start. There's appeal with his speed, but there's got to be some better options available to you.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Brandon Lowe, Danny Jansen, Jonathan Aranda, Jonny DeLuca and Taylor Walls are the other projected starters. Ben Rortvedt is the backup catcher, while Caballero, Richie Palacios and Eloy Jimenez as other bench options - Jimenez is projected to be in a platoon with Aranda.

Lowe scored over 200 fantasy points last season, and should bat near the top of the order again this season. He'll open the year as a deep-league option, but could become a streaming option in standard leagues at points this season. 

Jansen is a player to keep tabs on, but mostly just because he's at a weak fantasy position. Rortvedt and him could split the catcher responsibilities most of the season, making neither guy a good deep-league option even.

Aranda was once highly regarded, but now in a platoon, it might be hard for him to ever be more than a deep-league option, and he probably only will be rosterable in really deep leagues. Jimenez is a player to keep tabs on, but he's in a similar boat.

DeLuca and Walls are just bridge players until some younger talent is ready for the big leagues. DeLuca has the best batting average between the two, and it was just .217. 

A lot of the Tampa Bay lineup is going to be available in fantasy leagues to start the season, and you'll need to keep a close eye on things to determine the best fantasy options. FantasySP will help you out in that department, so be sure to check back during the season.

Top Prospects

Carson Williams is the top-ranked Rays' prospect, checking in No. 9 on the top 100.

Williams played 115 Double-A games last season, so he's still got some minor league seasoning left probably. Once he's ready, he could take over as the teams' everyday starter at shortstop.

Xavier Isaac is No. 51 on the top-100 list, but not expected to debut until 2026. If he erupts in his time in the minor leagues this season, I wouldn't rule out a September call up.

Brayden Taylor is No. 67, but also not expected to debut until 2026. With the lack of talent the team has at the big league level right now, I'm not writing off Taylor either.

Tre' Morgan is No. 94 and also expected to debut in 2026. He's looked great in most of his minor league stops so far, and can play first base or in the outfield, so he's got more paths to the major leagues if he continues to excel. I wouldn't be surprised to also see him in the MLB this season.

Theo Gillen is No. 99 and not expected to debut until 2028. He was the team's first-round pick in 2024. He's a player to target in dynasty leagues, but that's it right now.

Tampa Bay did not have any top-30 hitting prospects in Triple-A or the big leagues to end the 2024 season. 

With a lack of talent at the MLB level, it's worth noting whenever a hitter gets called up in Tampa Bay this season. Maybe one or two “unknown” prospects can make a fantasy difference this season.