Everyone is watching everything on MLB trade deadline day.
So when the Tampa Bay Rays pulled Yandy Diaz in the fourth inning of their afternoon game against the Yankees, it raised everyone's eyebrows.
Diaz has been involved in trade rumors, so it wasn't crazy to believe he'd been moved mid-game. The Boston Red Sox have been especially involved.
But it turns out that's not what was happening.
"Yandy Diaz has not been traded," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote on X. "He was hit by a pitch and lifted from the game in the aftermath."
Ironically, if Diaz was still going to be traded, this hit by pitch could throw a wrench into that plans.
He was pulled out of the game with less than four hours remaining until the deadline.
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Diaz, who will turn 34 on Aug. 8, popped up into trade deadline rumors kind of late.
He'd certainly be a big pickup for someone. On the season, he's batting .283 with 18 home runs.
Diaz is a career .288 hitter. For a long time, the muscle-bound Diaz didn't get the ball in the air enough to take advantage of his huge natural strength.
Now, though, Diaz seems to have figured it out.
His career high in home runs came in 2023, when he left the yard 22 times. That same season, he led the AL with a .330 batting average.
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Diaz already has 18 homers this season with a long way to go. He's also chasing his career-high 78 RBI, having already driven across 62 this season.
As a first baseman or a DH, Diaz would be an upgrade for a lot of teams at the deadline.
But given that the Rays didn't put Diaz's name into the hat until relatively late in the game, it's not clear anybody is heading toward meeting the asking price.
If not, Tampa Bay will just hope he's healthy after the badly timed hit by pitch.
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