ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays parted ways with a catcher once considered part of their future behind the plate, designating 25-year-old Dominic Keegan for assignment to make room for hard-throwing right-hander Chris Roycroft, acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named or cash considerations.
Keegan’s fall has been steep. Ranked among the Rays’ Top 30 prospects earlier this season, he hit just .191 with a .630 OPS and 79 strikeouts in 214 plate appearances over 51 games for Triple-A Durham before being optioned to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 8. He never played a game there, instead returning to the club’s Spring Training complex to work in a pressure-free environment.
“He’s had a tough season on both sides of the ball. We all love Dom, the person, and the way he carries himself, the teammate he is, the leader he is with the pitching staff,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ll see what shakes out of this, but wish him certainly well and would like to see him kind of turn around this season. He’s still a young player that has talent.”
Keegan slashed .285/.371/.435 for Double-A Montgomery in 2024 and posted a .735 OPS in Triple-A in 2025 before the bottom fell out. Logan Driscoll and Tatem Levins have handled most of the catching duties for Durham since Keegan’s demotion. If Keegan clears waivers, the Rays could retain him in the organization.
Roycroft, 29, was designated for assignment by St. Louis last week after recording a 6.41 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 37 walks in 60 1/3 innings over 54 big league appearances across three seasons with the Cardinals. The 6-foot-8 right-hander features a sinker averaging around 96 mph, an upper-80s cutter and a mid-90s four-seam fastball with elite extension — traits that made him a solid bullpen arm as a rookie in 2024 before he struggled the past two years.
“Big guy, throws hard,” Cash said. “We’ve shown that we rely on our options in Durham.”
The Rays optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Durham, where the club’s pitching development staff will work with him on more consistent strike-throwing before any potential promotion to St. Petersburg.