Rays Must Not Rush Top Prospect to Majors After Disappointing Season

Which prospect should the Tampa Bay Rays be patient with?

Aug 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) stands in the dugout in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | David Richard-Imagn Images

As the Tampa Bay Rays prepare for the winter, there will be a lot of tough decisions coming up for the franchise. With new ownership, it’s hard to predict what the franchise might do this winter in terms of spending and planning. 

Even though it might not have been the season that they had envisioned in 2025, the team was able to perform well for quite some time despite the challenges of having to play in a minor league stadium. Unfortunately, what did hurt them was the scheduling because of them playing a majority of their games during the summer away from home. 

Now, the Rays will be hoping for a much better campaign in 2026 and there is reason to believe that they can achieve quite a bit in the upcoming season. This is a team that frequently has some of their young talent on display with a plethora of good prospects generally being in the farm system. 

Even though their system might not be ranked as highly as it usually is, this is still a good unit with some talented players set to make an impact soon. However, the team must be wise not to rush some of these players to the Majors if they aren’t ready. 

Tampa Bay Should Be Patient With Top Prospect

5. Xavier Isaac - 1B - AA

Isaac was limited to just 41 G due to an injury, and despite his .201 BA and 29.7% K%, produced a 144 wRC+. His raw power to all parts of the field is some of the best in MiLB, and over a fully healthy 26', he could take a step forward with improved PD. pic.twitter.com/yMsR3oh4qr

— Inside The Diamond (@InsideTheDiamnd) September 29, 2025

One of the top prospects in the system for the Rays is slugger Xavier Isaac. The 21-year-old was a first-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2022 and is starting to work his way through the minors. He has been regarded as a Top 100 prospect in baseball, but had some struggles in 2025. 

In Double-A last year, he slashed .201/.366/.446 with nine home runs and 22 RBI in 41 games played. Injuries forced him to miss some time, and he seemingly had some trouble getting it going when he was healthy. 

Even though he has been projected for a call-up in 2026, the Rays would be wise not to rush things. Getting Isaac some more games played in Double-A and perhaps Triple-A would be wise for his development both as a hitter and a fielder. 

Where he is going to play in the field is another thing to consider for Tampa Bay. Due to the emergence of Jonathan Aranda in 2025, he appears to have locked down first base for years to come. Isaac’s primary position is first base, but he does have some outfield experience as well. However, it could very well be a designated hitter where he settles when he gets called up eventually. 

Overall, despite the down year he has a ton of potential still as shown in 2024. Injuries likely contributed to the struggles this past season, but he can still be an essential part of the franchise going forward. However, they must be patient and not rush him.