The Tampa Bay Rays bolstered their outfield depth by trading for Justyn-Henry Malloy from the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. The 25-year-old right-handed hitter adds balance to a group dominated by lefties. Malloy had been designated for assignment by Detroit earlier this month.
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays added another candidate to their outfield competition on Tuesday, acquiring outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy from the Tigers for cash considerations. Malloy spent the holidays in a sort of roster limbo after the Tigers designated him for assignment on Dec. 20 to make room for right-hander Kyle Finnegan. The Rays, with two open spots on their 40-man roster, did not need to make a corresponding move.
Malloy, a sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech in the 2021 Draft, joined the Tigers in a December 2022 trade with the Braves. He spent 2024 and 2025 bouncing between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo. In the majors, he has a .209/.311/.346 slash line with nine homers and 38 RBIs in 123 games. In Triple-A over parts of four seasons, he hit .286/.424/.478 with 40 homers in 271 games.
Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg praised Malloy's minor league track record last month, saying, “He’s had a track record of performance coming up through the Minor Leagues, that combination of on-base and damage. It hasn’t yet translated at the big league level. It’s not to say it can’t or it won’t. In our situation in particular, we just ran into a point where we didn’t have the space and the time to see that come to fruition.”
Malloy has performed well against left-handed pitching, posting a .250/.397/.423 slash line with 23 walks and 36 strikeouts in 131 plate appearances. He served as a platoon partner for Kerry Carpenter during his Tigers tenure. The Rays, whose outfield features left-handed hitters like center fielder Cedric Mullins and corner outfielders Chandler Simpson, Josh Lowe, and Jake Fraley—plus prospect Jacob Melton—see Malloy as a way to add balance alongside righties Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade.
Originally a third baseman with some first-base experience, Malloy is best suited for a corner outfield role. With two minor league options remaining, he could start the season in Triple-A if he does not win an Opening Day spot. Ryan Vilade, who shares a similar profile, is out of options.