Minor League Baseball

Tampa Bay Rays Add Matthew Etzel to Spring Breakout Roster in Place of Xavier Isaac

Top prospects Xavier Isaac and Matthew Etzel were both sent down to the Tampa Bay Rays' minor league camp this week, but the latter is replacing the former on the club's Spring Breakout roster.

Sam Connon

Southern Mississippi's Matthew Etzel (3) is picked off at first by Tennessee's Blake Burke (25) on a throw from the pitcher during Game 1 of the NCAA Hattiesburg Super Regional in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Southern Mississippi's Matthew Etzel (3) is picked off at first by Tennessee's Blake Burke (25) on a throw from the pitcher during Game 1 of the NCAA Hattiesburg Super Regional in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK
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MLB's annual Spring Breakout may be meant to showcase the top prospects in baseball, but the Tampa Bay Rays will be down a bit of star power this week.

First baseman Xavier Isaac – the No. 2 prospect in Tampa Bay's farm system and the No. 50 prospect in baseball – will no longer be on the Rays' Spring Breakout roster despite being part of the initial announcement last week, per MLB Pipeline. Taking his place will be outfielder Matthew Etzel, who is the Rays' No. 27 prospect.

Both Isaac and Etzel started spring training alongside Tampa Bay's big leaguers, but they were ultimately sent to minor league camp this past week.

Isaac was 0-for-9 with two walks across five Grapefruit League games. Etzel, meanwhile, was 3-for-20 with a home run, a double and two walks in 10 games.

The Rays acquired Etzel and two other prospects from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for starting pitcher Zach Eflin at the 2024 deadline. Baltimore selected Etzel in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Etzel went from Rookie League to Single-A to High-A within weeks of getting drafted. The following season, he climbed to Double-A before getting traded to Tampa Bay.

The 22-year-old outfielder has appeared in 149 minor league games in his career, batting .282 with 13 home runs, 26 doubles, 10 triples, 91 RBIs, 66 stolen bases and an .812 OPS.

The Rays' Spring Breakout game is the first on the schedule across the entire league. They will host the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Related MiLB Stories

  • SALAS FAST-TRACKED TO SPOTLIGHT: The Marlins only just signed Venezuelan shortstop Andrew Salas in January, but they added him to their Spring Breakout roster regardless. CLICK HERE
  • SMITH DOMINATES DODGERS: Shane Smith, who went No. 1 overall in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, showed out for the White Sox in a spring training game Saturday. CLICK HERE
  • BLUE JAYS UNVEIL SHOWCASE ROSTER: Six of the top seven prospects in Toronto's farm system will take the field for the team at the upcoming Spring Breakout. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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