2017 was a tumultuous year for Jose De Leon, but that’s really underselling how much the former top-25 ranked prospect had to go through during his first season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Acquired in January of 2017 for 2B Logan Forsythe (a crowd favorite in Tampa Bay), De Leon had a lot of expectations when he arrived in camp. However, early on, he would be told that he would not be making the team’s Opening Day roster and chose to join Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, having been born on the island.
Once the World Baseball Classic wrapped up, De Leon reported back to the Rays and arrived eventually hit the DL with an injury, a right forearm strain.