All-Star journey of Rays’ Jonathan Aranda is a story of perseverance

BOSTON — There are a lot of words, in Spanish and English, that fly around the Rays clubhouse in describing All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda.

Teammates and coaches note the calmness and confidence he takes to the field. Marvel at the consistency of his swing and the mature decisions he makes at the plate. Praise his preparation. And joke about his hair flowing wildly when his helmet falls off on the bases.

But the most important reason Aranda has had so much success this season and is headed to Atlanta for the All-Star festivities Monday-Tuesday is his refusal to fail.

“Perseverance is a great word,” baseball operations president Erik Neander said. “He’s quiet. He’s easy to go unnoticed in many respects, because he just goes about his business in a way that doesn’t command a lot of attention.

“But just to keep showing up, to keep working, to let his bat continue to do the talking, these are long journeys for players, and you have to have the talent but you also have to have the right type of makeup to stick with it and to see it through. And he’s been tested many times over.”

Aranda signed with the Rays in July 2015 — Brandon Lowe had just been drafted; Junior Caminero, another All-Star teammate, hadn’t yet turned 13 — and at age 27 is in his first full season in the majors.

“Jonny has had to grind his way to the big leagues, so it’s very rewarding to see him honored as an All Star,” Rays assistant GM Kevin Ibach said. “It’s a testament to his determination to live that journey, and now we are seeing the fruits of that labor.”

Aranda’s story starts with a serendipitous signing: Rays exec Carlos Rodriguez went to Tiajuana, Mexico, in the spring of 2015 to see then-free agent Randy Arozarena work out. But when Arozarena didn’t show, a local Rays scout suggested Rodriguez take a look at a few promising teens, including Aranda. They eventually signed him as a 17-year-old middle infielder for $130,000.

Aranda was not exactly on the fast track.

His first three seasons in the Rays organization, he didn’t even get to play for a full-season minor-league affiliate, spending his time in the Dominican Summer, Gulf Coast, Appalachian and New York-Penn leagues.

“I was just there,” Aranda said, via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “It was a little bit frustrating, because I saw my teammates getting promoted and whatnot, and I had to come back to extended (spring training in Port Charlotte). So it was kind of difficult. It took a lot of me mentally.”

Finally in 2019, he got to play in a game that counted before June.

He had five games with the advanced Class A Stone Crabs, got sent back to extended spring, hurt a wrist, then in late June went to low A Bowling Green and did well enough to catch some eyes.

Then the pandemic happened, and there was no 2020 season.

He started 2021 back with Bowling Green and turned 21 in May without having played above Class A. It was either time to get going or to go elsewhere.

Aranda did the former. A hot start for the Hot Rods got him promoted to Double-A Montgomery, and he had a breakout season. He won league and team MVP honors and, most importantly, played his way into the Rays’ plans, as he was added to the 40-man roster that November.

“That was the year when everything started flowing after everything that I’d been through,” he said. “They added me to the 40-man roster, and that’s when I saw that I had the chance to continue to play and to make it.”

But Aranda would be frustrated again.

A strong 2022 season at Triple-A Durham led to his big-league debut on June 24. He made two other stints with the Rays but didn’t show well, hitting .145 in 25 September/October games and finishing the season 3-for-his-last-45.

His 2023 went similarly — he won Durham MVP honors again, got limited opportunity with the Rays and didn’t do much it.

Finally in 2024, he got a break.

He was going to be on the Rays’ opening day roster and a key part of the lineup, with manager Kevin Cash already sharing the news. But during a fielding drill the last week of spring training, Aranda broke his right ring finger.

The opportunity he had been waiting nine years for was pretty much lost. Between setbacks and struggles, Aranda played only 18 big-league games, and not well, until a late August recall, when he at least did well enough over the final weeks to stay in their plans for 2025.

“I never gave up,” Aranda said. “Having a strong mindset, that’s what is helping me a lot. And that’s something that I’m proud of.”

The Rays committed to giving Aranda another chance in 2025, and he took advantage — all the way to Atlanta.

Entering play Saturday, he ranked among the majors’ best offensive performers: fourth with a .327 average, third with a .401 on-base percentage and 10th with an .898 OPS. His OPS+ of 152 indicates he was 52% better than the league average hitter. He led the Rays with a 3.0 WAR rating and ranked fourth with 11 homers and 49 RBIs.

“I was frustrated, but I didn’t let frustration beat me,” Aranda said. I knew that I deserved to be here, and I wanted to be here. The team has given me the chances this year, and that’s how I’m taking the opportunity.”

He leaned heavily on his family, especially his father, Humberto, who coached and mentored him through youth leagues and still today will send a reminding text noting something Aranda didn’t do right or well.

Those who saw Aranda once he finally got to the upper minors aren’t surprised at what he’s doing now.

“I’ve had the pleasure of playing in the minor leagues with Jonathan Aranda,” outfielder Josh Lowe said. “So, this is the guy that I know.”

“It’s just kind of what you expect out of Jonny,” said fellow, albeit injured, All-Star Brandon Lowe. “We got to see it in Triple A for a few years, and then it was a little give-and-take there in the big leagues for a little bit when he first got called up, but it was never a doubt that he was going to figure it out. And now we’re getting to see prime Jonny.

“When you watch him at the plate and you watch what he does, and then you see the work that he’s put in defensively to become a very good first baseman, it’s just all those things put together is why this guy deserves to be in Atlanta.”

Pitcher Shane Baz insisted that if Aranda got the chance he would make the most of it.

“I think it was just kind of a matter-of-time thing, and that’s kind of how everyone felt,” Baz said. “That’s credit to him, just for sticking with it and just having the perseverance to not let that bother him or faze him at all.”

There’s that word again.

All-Star Game

Monday-Tuesday, Atlanta

TV: 8 Monday (Home Run Derby), ESPN; 8 Tuesday (All-Star Game), Fox

Rays All-Stars: 1B Jonathan Aranda, 3B Junior Caminero*, 2B Brandon Lowe+, RHP Drew Rasmussen

*Also competing in Home Run Derby, +on injured list

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All-Star journey of Rays’ Jonathan Aranda is a story of perseverance

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