Tampa Bay Rays Breakout MLB Prospects For 2025

Entering 2025, we’re projecting a number of Rays prospects to have the potential for a breakout season.

To qualify, a player must rank outside the organization’s Top 10 prospects entering the year. All scouting reports are from Baseball America’s 2025 Prospect handbook, which you can purchase here.

You can find Top 10 prospect rankings for all teams here and all breakout candidates here.

Emilien Pitre, 2B

Preseason Rank: 14
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: A member of the Canadian National Team in high school, Pitre blossomed as a contact-hitting, smooth-fielding second baseman at Kentucky. He never showed much power, but he showed he could hit with wood bats with a solid stint in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2023. Most teams had him pegged as a third- or fourth-rounder after he hit .301/.420/.519 for the Wildcats in 2024. The Rays liked him more, taking him in the second round. Pitre had a strong debut, hitting .291/.402/.403 in an impressive 21-game stint with Low-A Charleston.

Scouting Report: Pitre is a complementary player, who doesn’t have middle-of-the-order potential, but his ability to be an above-average defender at second base with a plus hit tool could make him a very useful top or bottom of the lineup regular. His plus speed plays well on the basepaths, where he swiped 20 or more bases in his final two seasons at Kentucky. He nabbed seven in nine tries in just 21 pro games. Defensively, he’s rangier than the average second baseman, especially to his right, as he very comfortably makes plays on the shortstop side of the bag. He is quick on double play turns and throws accurately on the run, although his average arm would be a drawback if he tried to fill in at shortstop.

The Future: Pitre was promoted to High-A Bowling Green for the 2024 postseason. He should return there to start 2025. His contact skills and defense should allow him to move relatively quickly, even if he may eventually be supplanted by players with more offensive upside.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 55. POW: 30. FLD: 55. ARM: 50. RUN: 55.

Yoniel Curet, RHP

Preseason Rank: 17
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: After signing for a modest $150,000 bonus, Curet has proven to be the most astute signing of the Rays’ 2019 international class. Curet struggled with his control early in 2024, but in the second half of the season, he was one of the best pitchers in the minors. After the MLB all-star break, Curet was 5-0, 1.66 while striking out 39% of the batters he faced.

Scouting Report: Curet’s plus-plus fastball is one of the best in the minors. He sits 94-96 mph and can touch 98, with tons of armside run and plenty of extension from a low release point. It eats up hitters even when they are looking for it. However, the rest of his arsenal has yet to catch up to his fastball. His cutter-like hard 85-88 mph slider will flash plus, but he doesn’t show much confidence in it, and his below-average mid-80s changeup is limited by his scattershot command of it. Curet’s control and command improved during 2024, but it remains below-average.

The Future: Curet’s development path resembles that of Mason Montgomery, as his fastball would be ready quickly in a relief role, but he’ll need plenty of work to develop as a starter. Curet will be entering his second year on the 40-man roster as he heads back to Double-A Montgomery to start the 2025 season. For now, he’s still a starter, but if the Rays get into a roster crunch, his exceptional fastball could lead to a move to the bullpen.

Scouting Grades: FB: 70. SL: 55. CH: 40. CTL: 40.

Homer Bush Jr., OF

Preseason Rank: 20
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: The son of Yankees and Blue Jays second baseman Homer Bush, Homer Jr. had few Division I offers coming out of high school. He barely played as a Grand Canyon freshman but blossomed into a key member of the Antelopes’ lineup, alongside one-time roommate and 2023 Athletics first-round pick Jacob Wilson. A fourth-round pick of the Padres, Bush was traded to the Rays at the 2024 trade deadline along with Dylan Lesko and J.D. Gonzalez for reliever Jason Adam.

Scouting Report: Bush is a top-of-the-scale runner who turned in the fastest 30-yard dash time at the MLB Draft Combine in 2023 (3.52 seconds). He could play plus defense in the majors right now, and eventually could be a plus-plus defender. His speed and defense has always been an asset, but the Rays worked hard after the season to get Bush more upright in his stance, helping him be athletic at the plate. Once a skinny speedster, Bush is now a well-built 200 pounds, but in 2024, the ball didn’t come off his bat with impact. He chases pitches out of the zone too much, but he has the barrel control that keeps him from piling up strikeouts.

The Future: Bush is faster than anyone in the Rays system other than Chandler Simpson, and his better defense gives him a solid shot to be a backup outfielder. If the swing/stance changes the Rays worked on click, he could be a dynamic regular.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 50. POW: 40. FLD: 70. RUN: 80. ARM: 45.