Key Position is Biggest Roster Hole for Rays Heading into 2026

The Tampa Bay Rays have a glaring roster hole at a key position.

Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It has been a hectic offseason for the Tampa Bay Rays this winter with a plethora of moves so far. However, they do have some areas that need to be addressed. 

Coming into the winter, the Rays were a team that was attempting to improve heading into the new campaign. Tampa Bay has been a good franchise for many years, but after missing the playoffs a couple of years straight, there is a desire to improve. 

With new ownership, the hope early on was that the team might start to spend a bit more. However, that won’t be happening just yet, and the primary focus will be on getting a new stadium. 

For the roster, they were aggressive early on in free agency, signing three veterans. This was encouraging, with the players filling some precise needs. However, more recent moves to trade talent have resulted in the team taking a step back as of now. While the farm system has been reloaded, there are some noticeable new holes for the team. 

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest roster hole for the Rays being at second base following the decision to trade Brandon Lowe. 

Second Base Certainly an Issue

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The decision this winter of whether or not to trade Lowe was one of the most challenging ones that the Rays had to make. The talented slugger was coming off one of the best years of his career and was an All-Star in 2025. From an offensive standpoint, there were few players at the position better than him. 

Tampa Bay knew that when they traded him, there was no clear replacement in the farm system ready to take over. While this is now a unit that has a surplus of talent, who is going to play second base is a mystery. 

After establishing himself as the first baseman for the team in 2025, a switch back to second could be an option for Jonathan Aranda, but that isn’t an ideal scenario. They could elect to go back into free agency to try and find a replacement, but options are pretty limited in their price range. 

Overall, it could very well be a utility player or two getting reps and second base for the majority of 2025. Considering how much of a strength the position was in 2025, it’s hard to imagine that it will be again in 2026.