From Marc Topkin, St. Petersburg Times:
↵↵↵C Jose Lobaton has been called up by #Rays according to several Spanish-language sites. Should know more soon.
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Considering the Rays have been getting dismal offensive production from their catchers -- overall .199/.287/.330 line this season -- it's only natural that they would call someone up. Jaso and Shoppach have been terrible this season, and Jose Lobaton has been on fire, posting a .293/.410/.489 line in Triple-A. He's also been ranked in the past as the best defensive catcher in the Rays' system, so even if that offense doesn't translate exactly to the majors, he should still be an improvement behind the plate. He doesn't exactly have a high bar to clear...
↵Lobaton will step into the roster spot left open when Brandon Guyer was sent back down to the minors last weekend, meaning unless they make any more roster moves, the Rays will enter this series against Boston with 6 relievers and 3 catchers. I'm glad Lobaton is finally up and will be given a chance, but what? Three cathers? I guess the odds are that Lobaton will only be on the roster for a few days -- until Alex Cobb needs to get called up for his start on Tuesday -- so it looks like the Rays will have a couple days with a very catcher-heavy bench.