Rays put Nelson Cruz to defend for the first time since 2018 and in a position he has never played

There is a first time for everything, even to defend the initial. Dominican Nelson Cruz, who has not defended or played on the field since the 2018 season, is in Tuesday’s starting lineup as first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, who begin a two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

In his long career in the majors, Nelson Cruz has only defended the prairies in the majors and minor leagues, marking the first time the nominal designated hitter has defended first base.

The 41-year-old gunner will defend the initial for the first time for a number of reasons. First, the Rays will play in a National League park and second, Ji-Man Choi entered the disabled list.

Cruz returns to the team after not feeling well on August 22, when he entered the COVID-19 list, before the last game of the series between Rays and White Sox. But it was not because of a positive test from the gunboat, which is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

MLB.com

Gabriel Delgado

I started as a rookie on Al Bat in early 2018 and I am going into my third season covering Major League Baseball as a web reporter. I am a fan of the San Francisco Giants, a number one defender of Barry Bonds and a critic of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña are the future of baseball, Mike Trout is overrated, and the Astros deserved to be taken away from the World Series for cheating. Besides baseball, I also enjoy soccer, football, basketball, and just about any other game that includes a ball or a ball. I am also an amateur musician, penniless gamer and very nerdy. Graduated in journalism from the University of Guadalajara, I graduated in 2017. Born in the shrimp capital of the world, Escuinapa, Sinaloa. I lived in Australia for a while; i survived giant spiders, tasmanian devils and fought a kangaroo and didn’t die trying.

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