Outfielders Bubba Thompson and Taylor Trammell were both demoted to Triple-A by their respective teams on Friday after slow starts to 2023.
Bubba Thompson
Bubba Thompson is on a short list of the fastest players in Major League Baseball.
On the base paths he can be absolutely electric; turning singles to doubles, stealing bases and even scoring from first on singles to the outfield.
But getting on base has been a struggle for Thompson this year and the Rangers hope consistent at-bats in Triple-A Round Rock will help get on track.
In just 36 games and 53 plate appearances this season he has an on base percentage of .237 and a batting average of .170 with four stolen bases, two caught stealings and four RBI.
“(Bubba) Thompson still needs to learn his swing,” said Rangers third base coach Tony Beasley.
“He needs to be playing everyday. He was not ready for the role we needed him in up here. Once he finds his swing, the sky’s the limit.”
Thompson was a first round pick for Texas in the 2017 MLB Draft out of high school.
In 2022 he broke the teams’s Triple-A affiliates’ record for stolen bases in a year with 49 to go along with 13 home runs, 48 RBI and a .304 batting average.Thompson made his debut for the Rangers in August of 2022 finishing with a .265 average, 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts and nine RBI.
He made the Opening Day Roster in 2023, but could not outplay the multiple veterans in the Rangers outfield, thus causing him to mainly be a late inning defensive replacement and pinch runner.
Now that Thompson will be getting constant playing time, he will have a chance to catch a rhythm at the plate and help the Big League club soon down the road.
Taylor Trammell
The Mariners sent Trammell down to Triple-A Tacoma after a rough month of May at the plate.
During the month, he hit .122 with a .265 on base percentage and two home runs in 20 games.
Trammell, who was originally drafted by the Reds, was traded to the Padres in 2019 before being moved again to Seattle.
He got a late start to the 2023 season after having surgery for breaking his hand in a February off-season workout.
He was recalled to the Majors on April 30th when he hit a grand slam against the Blue Jays in his first at-bat of the season.
The Mariners could not find a full-time role for Trammell and opted to call-up one of their top prospects in favor of him.
Trammell was a second round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.
From 2016-2018 while in the Reds organization he stole 90 bases and hit 23 home runs.
Since debuting in 2021, Trammell has only stolen four bases in his career. He will need to revive that threat of speed and average if wants to find his way back to the Bigs whether that be in Seattle or elsewhere.
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