Tampa Bay Rays Will Be Without All-Star Infielder Friday Following His Momentous Week

Yandy Diaz has been placed on the paternity list and will not play in the series opener against the Kansas City Royals, with his weekend status to be determined.

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed first baseman Yandy Diaz on the paternity list, Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Topkin reported Thursday. The team has recalled utility man Jonathan Aranda from Triple-A Durham to take his place.

Diaz and his wife, Mayisleidis, welcomed their son, Yandy Jr., on Wednesday.

Diaz will not play Friday against the Kansas City Royals, while his status for Saturday and Sunday remains up in the air.

By going on the paternity list, Diaz is required to miss Tampa Bay's next game, but he cannot miss more than three games. As a result, the infielder must rejoin the roster when the Rays start their series at the Texas Rangers on Monday.

#Rays Diaz is on the paternity list and won’t play Friday for sure, there’s some discussion if he’ll return Saturday or Sunday. Aranda will be called up.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 13, 2023

Diaz spent the first four years of his major league career as a part-time member of the lineup, only breaking in as a regular starter during Tampa Bay's 2020 World Series run.

In 2021, Diaz recorded 13 home runs and 64 RBI with a .256 batting average and .740 OPS. His homers and RBI dipped to nine and 57 in 2022, but he boosted his average to .296 and his OPS to .824.

Diaz is on pace to set career-highs across the board in 2023, capitalizing on his breakout season by making his first-ever MLB All-Star Game as a starter. Diaz is hitting .323 with 13 home runs, 43 RBI and a .923 OPS through 78 games.

Yandy Jr.'s scheduled due date was Tuesday – the day of the All-Star Game – so Diaz did not initially fly out to Seattle with the rest of his teammates. The veteran eventually left for the festivities 7 p.m. Monday night, and he landed back in Tampa at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

In the interim, Diaz hit a solo home run off of Pittsburgh Pirates righty Mitch Keller at T-Mobile Park, giving the American League a brief lead before they eventually fell to the National League by a score of 3-2.

Yandy Jr. was born upon his father's return Wednesday, and Diaz will miss at least Friday's game in Kansas City as a result.

Aranda – who is 1-for-8 with two RBI and three strikeouts at the major league level this season – is expected to come off the bench Friday, while Luke Raley will likely start at first for Tampa Bay.

First pitch between the Rays and Royals is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

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