Richie Palacios

Active

Tampa Bay Rays · 2B

Age 295' 8" · 185 lbsBats Left

#244 Current

FBaseball Overview

At 29 years old, Palacios enters 2026 as a bench-caliber second baseman for Tampa Bay with limited power production and modest run-scoring potential. His 2025 numbers showed promise in limited action (.333 AVG in 42 at-bats), but the early 2026 campaign has been disappointing, featuring a .231 average across 169 plate appearances with just one home run. Fantasy managers should view him primarily as a source of speed and batting average rather than power or RBI, though his stolen base total (7 SB in 2026) offers some value in deeper leagues. The risk here outweighs the upside unless he lands consistent playing time and rediscovers the approach that fueled his 2025 success.

News Updates

Richie Palacios sits out World Series Game 1
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Richie Palacios was absent from the lineup for Game 1 of the World Series against Milwaukee. His lack of playing time in the opener may suggest reduced role or injury concern heading into the series.
Oct 25, 2026
Palacios absent from Rays' World Series Game 1 lineup
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Richie Palacios was not included in the team's lineup for World Series Game 1 against Milwaukee. This suggests either an injury issue or strategic benching by management heading into the postseason. Fantasy players should clarify the reason for his absence before the next contest.
Oct 24, 2026

MLB Hitting

Year	Team	G	PA	AB	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS
2022	Cleveland Guardians	54	123	112	.232	0	10	7	2	20	.293	.286	.579
2023	St. Louis Cardinals	32	102	93	.258	6	16	9	2	11	.307	.516	.823
2024	Tampa Bay Rays	92	316	264	.223	5	21	46	19	67	.346	.318	.664
2025	Tampa Bay Rays	17	48	42	.333	1	3	10	4	9	.396	.452	.848
2026	Tampa Bay Rays	124	399	345	.235	10	57	51	17	68	.330	.374	.704
Career	Totals	319	988	856	.238	22	107	123	44	175	.331	.364	.695

Source: MLB Stats API · Multi-team seasons show combined totals — click to expand

Minor League Hitting

Year	Team	G	PA	AB	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS
2018	3 teams▼	45	190	169	.361	6	30	26	7	27	.421	.538	.959
2021	2 teams▼	103	428	357	.297	7	48	72	20	70	.404	.471	.875
2022	Columbus Clippers	45	206	179	.279	4	36	34	12	43	.371	.458	.829
2023	2 teams▼	96	464	374	.251	8	59	76	9	61	.379	.377	.756
2024	Durham Bulls	5	21	18	.222	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.222	.555
2025	3 teams▼	24	98	90	.167	2	4	8	3	24	.235	.267	.502
Career	Totals	318	1407	1187	.278	27	177	216	51	226	.380	.430	.810

Source: MLB Stats API · Multi-team seasons show combined totals — click to expand

Last Week / Last Month

Current season · MLB only

7 games

G	PA	AB	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS
7	22	20	.250	0	5	0	3	4	.318	.300	.618

30 games

G	PA	AB	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB	K	OBP	SLG	OPS
30	96	85	.212	5	21	12	6	11	.284	.424	.708

Game Log2026 MLB

Loading game log…

Advanced Stats2026 season · via Baseball Savant

Click for year to year changes

EV Avg86.2 mph

Max EV106.9 mph

Launch Angle13.4°

Barrel %3.9%

K %17.0%

Hard Hit %29.2%

Sprint Speed26.7 ft/s

Bat Speed69.3 mph

Whiff %20.7%

Chase %32.5%

xBA0.243

xSLG0.334

xwOBA0.306

GB%41.6%

FB%19.9%

What These Stats Mean

EV Avg — Average exit velocity — how hard this batter hits the ball. Elite hitters (90+ mph) make consistently hard contact, driving better batting averages and more power.

Max EV — Peak exit velocity on the batter's hardest-hit ball this season. Signals raw power potential even without a high HR total yet.

Launch Angle — Average vertical angle of the ball off the bat. The sweet spot for extra-base hits is roughly 10–30°; extreme ground ball or pop-up hitters sit outside this range.

Barrel % — Percentage of batted balls hit with the optimal exit velocity + launch angle combo. Barrels are the single best predictor of home runs and slugging percentage.

K % — Strikeout rate per plate appearance. High K% suppresses batting average and limits run-scoring opportunities — lower is better for fantasy.

Hard Hit % — Percentage of batted balls hit 95 mph or harder. A broader power indicator than barrels; high hard-hit% players rack up extra-base hits and RBI.

Sprint Speed — Peak sprint speed in feet per second. The best predictor of stolen base upside and ability to leg out infield hits.

Bat Speed — Average swing speed at the point of contact. Faster bat speed lets hitters wait longer on pitches and generates more raw power potential.

Whiff % — Percentage of swings that miss. High whiff rates signal strikeout vulnerability, dragging down batting average and overall production.

Chase % — How often the batter swings at pitches outside the strike zone. Low chase rates mean elite plate discipline — more walks, fewer strikeouts, more consistent at-bats.

xBA — Expected batting average based on contact quality, stripping out luck and defensive positioning. Better predictor of future performance than actual batting average.

xSLG — Expected slugging based on batted ball data. A high xSLG relative to actual SLG suggests power suppressed by bad luck that's likely to bounce back.

xwOBA — Expected weighted on-base average — the most comprehensive single expected metric. Combines contact quality, walks, and strikeouts to project overall offensive production.

GB% — Ground ball rate. High GB% hitters trade home run power for speed-dependent value — good for stolen base upside, but a drag on HR and SLG categories.

FB% — Fly ball rate. Elite power hitters combine high FB% with high exit velocity. High fly ball rate + soft contact = home run or nothing type.

Loading player data...

Year

Team

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

OPS

2022

Cleveland Guardians

123

112

.232

.293

.286

.579

2023

St. Louis Cardinals

102

.258

.307

.516

.823

2024

Tampa Bay Rays

316

264

.223

.346

.318

.664

2025

Tampa Bay Rays

.333

.396

.452

.848

2026

Tampa Bay Rays

124

399

345

.235

.330

.374

.704

Career

Totals

319

988

856

.238

107

123

175

.331

.364

.695

Year

Team

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

OPS

2018

3 teams▼

190

169

.361

.421

.538

.959

2021

2 teams▼

103

428

357

.297

.404

.471

.875

2022

Columbus Clippers

206

179

.279

.371

.458

.829

2023

2 teams▼

464

374

.251

.379

.377

.756

2024

Durham Bulls

.222

.333

.222

.555

2025

3 teams▼

.167

.235

.267

.502

Career

Totals

318

1407

1187

.278

177

216

226

.380

.430

.810

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

OPS

.250

.318

.300

.618

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

OPS

.212

.284

.424

.708