#brooks raley

Cyd Zeigler at Outsports: 

The Tampa Bay Rays held the team’s annual LGBTQ Pride Night on Saturday, with many of the players wearing a rainbow on their uniform to signify that LGBTQ people are welcome at the ballpark.

Yet a number of players on the team refused to wear the rainbow or demonstrate support for the community, with a spokesperson saying they did so based on religious objections to homosexuality.

The Tampa Bay Times has identified at least five players on the Rays team — pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson — who rejected the rainbow, and in doing so rejected the LGBTQ community. Raley and Beeks both played in the 3-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

[...]

For starters, no one expects an MLB team to wear rainbows on their jersey during a Pride Night. It’s great if it happens, and it is certainly a powerful statement about the inclusive values of the club; There’s a lot of positive about doing so. Yet it’s not as though the Rays had to attempt to do this. If they weren’t all going to do it, they should have punted. This was, it can be said, an unforced error.

And if the club does decide to wear a rainbow, they need to effectively communicate with player leadership and various levels of management to build a consensus of support and make it clear that everyone’s got to do it.

Luis Arraez takes 4. Last worn by Otto Kemp (40-man), who will need a new number.

Brooks Raley takes 30. Last worn by David Robertson in 2025.

Omar Narváez takes 2. Last worn by Dominic Smith in 2022.

Brooks Rally instead takes 25. Last worn by Tyler Naquin in 2022.

Tommy Pham takes 28. Last worn by Darin Ruf in 2022.

Darin Ruf switches from 28 to 33. Last worn by James McCann in 2022.

Drew Smith switches from 62 to 40. Last worn by Chris Bassitt in 2022.

Jeff Brigham takes 43. Last worn by Yolmer Sánchez in 2022.

Elieser Hernández takes 57. Last worn by Johan Santana in 2012.

David Robertson takes 30

Kodai Senga takes 34

Justin Verlander takes 35

The Mets traded Keyshawn Askew to get lefty Brooks Raley as part of the Mets pen. While I expect the Rays to do big things with Askew, for the Mets it filled a major gap in their pen. A dominant lefty was a must according to a lot of fans and with acquiring the 34 year left hander, the Mets did just that. Raley is coming of a great year with the Rays (of course, he did), pitching to a 2.68 ERA…