Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Could take precautions this season
Choi has been wearing a mask and protective goggles during early summer camp workouts, a practice that could extend to the regular season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi could again see time at both first base and designated hitter in 2020 after posting career-best figures in multiple categories, including home runs (19) and RBI (63), a year ago. The 29-year-old has been one of the most consistent on-base presences for the Rays during his first two seasons in Tampa, and it remains to seen if added protective accessories would affect his typically sharp vision at the plate to any degree. Notably, Topkin separately reports Choi hit from the right side for part of Saturday's batting practice session and put solid wood on the ball, but manager Kevin Cash remarked that he plans to keep Choi hitting left-handed on a full-time basis once the season begins.
