Wander Franco injury: Under-the-radar Rays trade replacement

The Tampa Bay Rays will be without starting shortstop Wander Franco for five-to-eight weeks due to hamate surgery. Here is one under-the-radar trade target for the team.

The Tampa Bay Rays are far from the position that they were in at last year’s trade deadline. They sit far back in the AL East standings to the New York Yankees. Injuries have played a huge part in that, and things have only gotten worse.

On July 11, reports indicated that shortstop Wander Franco will have to undergo surgery to repair his hamate bone, and will now miss the next five-to-eight weeks as of this writing.

Given that the trade deadline is a matter of a couple of weeks away, the Rays need to explore potential replacements on the trade block. If they want to take a look at an under-the-radar option, they should give the Colorado Rockies a call regarding Jose Iglesias.

Rays should consider trading for Jose Iglesias to fill-in for injured Wander Franco

The Rays know Iglesias well, as he spent portions of his career with the Boston Red Sox (2011-13, 2021) and Baltimore Orioles. After finishing last season with the Red Sox, Iglesias signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Rockies.Iglesias

Iglesias is one of Colorado’s best hitters, as he leads the team with a .297 batting average through 70 games entering July 11. As for his other stats, Igleisas recorded a .338 on-base percentage (third-highest on team), two home runs, 23 RBI, 26 runs scored, and 70 hits.

Sure, Iglesias may not be sending baseballs out of the ballpark, but he gets on base.

At shortstop, Iglesias has a .974 fielding percentage, recording 182 assists, 75 putouts, and seven errors.

Considering that Iglesias will be hitting free agency this upcoming winter, his asking price should not be too much to deter Tampa from pursuing a deal. For his ability to get on base alone compared to other options, Iglesias is the option for Tampa Bay if they choose to find someone to fill-in outside of the organization.