Could Austin Shenton make the Opening Day roster?

Injuries have opened the door for a surprising prospect

The Tampa Bay Rays have been ravaged by injuries thus far in 2024 and their depth is starting to get tested. Entering camp, the team knew it would need to look for a backup infielder to play behind Jose Caballero with Taylor Walls undergoing hip surgery during the offseason. The team brought in the versatile veteran Amed Rosario to solve that problem.

In the outfield, the team was set with Jose Siri, Josh Lowe, and Randy Arozarena. Harold Ramirez would see some time in the outfield, but the majority of the backup would be provided by newcomers Jonny DeLuca, Ritchie Palacios, and the aforementioned Rosario. Meanwhile, Jonathan Aranda entered camp seeming like a lock to be the team’s starting designated hitter against right-handed pitching.

Now with Opening Day less than a week away, the Rays suddenly find themselves with three players that were ticketed for the roster set to open the season on the Injured List: Josh Lowe, Jonathan Aranda, and Jonny DeLuca.

The injuries to DeLuca and Lowe will be covered by the trio of Palacios, Ramirez, and Rosario receiving much more outfield time than originally suspected. However, Aranda’s absence leaves the Rays with a glaring need for another left-handed bat. While the Rays will keep their options open and look all around the game for a suitable replacement, there is an internal option.

26-year old Austin Shenton was added to the Rays 40-man roster this past November following a season in which he was among the top offensive performers in all of the minor leagues.

Originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 5th round of the 2019 draft, Shenton has hit exceptionally well throughout his entire professional career. In the Summer of 2021, Shenton had mashed his way to Double-A before being sent to the Rays in a deadline swap of relievers that sent Diego Castillo to the Mariners. 2023 was Shenton’s first full injury free year with the Rays (Shenton missed most of 2022 with a hip issue) and he was fantastic. Among players with at least 300 plate appearances, Shenton’s 157 wRC+ was the 12th highest (second in the Rays system behind Jonathan Aranda’s 165 wRC+). Shenton draws walks, getting the free pass 17.7% of the time in Tripe-A. Shenton hits for power, slugging .603 over 271 Triple-A plate appearances.

The drawback that has severely impacted Shenton’s status as a prospect is that he is purely an offensive player. He is a well below average runner with a single stolen base in his professional career. His defense may be the worst of any player in the minor leagues; his arm is worse than Curtis Mead’s, his glove is worse than Jonathan Aranda’s, and as noted before his lack of speed means he’s got limited range. According to Baseball America, Shenton would have the weakest throwing arm of any third baseman in the big leagues; he also isn’t very accurate. On the other corner of the infield, Shenton is a below average first baseman.

This past offseason, Shenton would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft and despite his defense, the Rays felt that he would have been selected. Thus, they added him to their 40-man roster in November.

The offensive upside for Shenton is immense as his hitting tools place him a tier just below that of Junior Caminero and Curtis Mead, but his defensive shortcoming may make it difficult for Shenton to receive enough playing time to fulfill his offensive promise.

However, with a clear path to the Rays Opening Day roster, Shenton may just be able to showcase his offensive abilities at the Major League level.