Things haven’t gone as planned for the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. The Rays dropped the first two games of their interleague series against the Cincinnati Reds, falling behind the Boston Red Sox for top spot in the AL wild card race. They’ll have to make up ground without one of their top hitters as Ji-Man Choi is getting the day off for the series finale.
#Rays lineup, with Walls hitting 3rd, vs. #Reds: pic.twitter.com/MMQjcfAImA
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 10, 2022
Choi sits second on the Rays in on-base percentage and runs batted in, at .391 and 38, respectively; however, injuries have impacted his availability this season, with the 31-year-old limited to just 60 games.
Still, the Rays aren’t losing any power with his replacement as Isaac Paredes fills in for Choi at first on Sunday. Paredes is solidifying his grip as the team leader with a .632 slugging percentage over the past month, elevating his season-long average to .560 and leading the team with 13 long balls.
The price is crashing on the Rays, who are down to -136 favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook, as they look to salvage one of three games against the Reds.
