The Rays have talent in-house they have been evaluating. Here are three players that caught the organization's eye.
The Tampa Bay Rays are leaning into their prospects in 2026.
Three minor league standouts were selected to Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster Tuesday: Infielder Jadher Areinamo, right-handed pitcher Alex Cook and catcher Dominic Keegan. Below are the backgrounds of each player:
INF Jadher Areinamo- Areinamo, 21, came to Tampa Bay in the trade that sent catcher Danny Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this year. A product of Venezuela, Areinamo hit .285 (145-for-508) with 32 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, 70 RBI, 46 walks, 21 stolen bases and 69 runs scored across 131 games between Class-A Wisconsin (131 games) and Double-A Montgomery (37 games) this past season.
He was also named a Midwest League postseason All-Star for the second year in a row after hitting .297 (109-for-367) with an .818 OPS, 24 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 51 RBI, 34 walks, 15 stolen bases and 51 runs scored with Wisconsin. It marked his fourth All-Star selection in as many years.
RHP Alex Cook- A product of Colby Community College in Kansas, Cook was selected by the Rays with the 374th pick in the 12th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The 24-year-old registered a 2-1 record with a 2.66 ERA (20.1IP, 6ER), 28 strikeouts, eight walks and a 1.08 WHIP while holding opponents to a .187 (14-for-75) average over 17 relief appearances this past season, including 13 outings with Double-A Montgomery and four rehab appearances with the FCL Rays.
With Double-A Montgomery, Cook logged a 2.30 ERA with 18 strikeouts, three walks and a 0.83 WHIP. Among Southern League relievers with 15.0 innings pitched or more, he ranked among league leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd, 6.00) and WHIP (3rd). Cook did not allow a run over his last eight outings spanning 10.0 innings, striking out 14 batters while holding opponents to a 3-for-33 (.091) clip in that span.
In 2023, he was named Relief Pitcher of the Year by the Rays baseball operations department.
C Dominic Keegan- The Rays need consistency at backstop, and Keegan may provide a solution. The 25-year-old is a product of baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt and was selected by Tampa Bay with the 134th pick in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Keegan slashed .245/.322/.445 (71-for-290) with 18 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 40 RBI this season between stints with Durham (69 games) and FCL Rays (eight games). He also logged the longest hitting streak by a Bulls batter all season from June 14-July 13, over which he slashed .367/.424/.633 (22-for-60) with seven doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.057 OPS.
Keegan has been rated as the Rays’ No. 15 prospect by MLB.com. He has also been named a 2024 Southern League postseason All-Star, a 2023 MiLB.com Rays Organizational All-Star and a 2023 Arizona Fall League Rising Star since being selected by the Rays.