Rays Have One Noticeable Positive Takeaway From First Week

What is one positive takeaway for the Tampa Bay Rays from the first week?

Mar 17, 2026; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Diaz (2) hits a ground rule double against the New York Yankees in the third inning during spring training at Charlotte Sports Park. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have finished up their first two series of the year against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately, they lost both and sit with a 2-4 record heading into their last series of a long road trip against the Minnesota Twins. 

With the first week of the campaign over for the Rays, there have been some positives and negatives for the team early on. Losing both series to begin the campaign is certainly not a positive for the unit, but they have seen some good things on an individual level. 

For a team that is hoping to be a contender, starting the year on a lengthy road trip is not easy, and they will need to get some wins against a bad Minnesota team to salvage things. 

Adam Berry of MLB recently wrote about the biggest takeaways for the Rays in the first week of the season, being the performances of Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz, who have both gotten off to great starts. 

Duo is Thriving

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Coming into the season, there was rightfully some concern about how the offense for the Rays might look. This winter, the team completely reshaped their outfield, and they also traded away All-Star slugger Brandon Lowe. 

With Lowe leaving and a bunch of new faces coming in, what this lineup might look like is still a major question mark for the team. However, the early results from some of their key players have been good. 

The star trio of Junior Caminero, Diaz, and Aranda is going to be key for the team going forward. While Caminero hasn’t got off to a great start, his teammates have. So far, Diaz has arguably been the best hitter on the team, slashing .429/.448/.679 with two home runs and eight RBI. However, Aranda is right there as well, slashing .304/.414/.609 with two home runs and five RBI. 

While it is Diaz getting on base more from hitting the ball, Aranda has already been able to draw five walks. Even though the team overall might not be performing great, these two have been carrying the load offensively. 

As the season continues, the Rays will undoubtedly be monitoring how they are doing and whether or not they will entertain moving Diaz. The veteran slugger is going to be one of the most highly talked about players in trade rumors this summer, and Tampa Bay moving him could happen. However, until that decision is made, they will continue to reap the benefits of his hot start.