The Rays Needs to Make a Change in Center Field Soon

Do the Tampa Bay Rays need to make a change in center field soon?

Apr 22, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) during the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Tropicana Field. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a fantastic start to the season and appear to be a true contender in the American League. However, there is still room for improvement. 

Coming into the season, not many would have predicted that the Rays would be as good as they have been so far this year. Tampa Bay has been arguably one of the best teams in the entire AL, and has been keeping up a hot pace with the New York Yankees. 

During the offseason, the Rays seemed to be a bit more focused on restocking a farm system that was starting to slack a little bit. Tampa Bay moved a couple of key veterans, like Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz, in order to help get them a jolt of new young talent. 

Despite moving on from some key players, the team hasn’t missed a beat. In free agency, they did add some veterans on short-term deals to help them compete in 2026, and that is exactly what they are doing. However, not all of the moves have worked out so far. 

Where Should the Rays Make a Change?

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Even though the team is playing fantastically to start the year, they do have a glaring issue in their outfield. This was an area that the team invested heavily in trying to improve over the winter, but the results have been mixed. 

In free agency, they added both Jake Fraley and Cedric Mullins. While Fraley has done well in his expected platoon role, Mullins has really struggled. Tampa Bay undoubtedly was hoping that the former All-Star would be able to bounce back from a terrible second half of the season with the New York Mets after being traded. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. 

So far in 28 games this year, he has slashed .133/.196/.235 with two home runs and nine RBI. The numbers don’t lie, and Mullins has been a major disappointment for the team so far. 

This lack of production in center field has created a void in the lineup for Tampa Bay, and one that they are going to have to address. With top prospect Jacob Melton not exactly lighting it up in the minors, they might have to consider looking at some external options. Hopefully, Mullins will be able to turn it around soon, but there is certainly a possibility that he has lost something based on his struggles with New York last year.