Shushkewich: Peters designated for assignment by Rays

Okotoks Dawgs alum Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.), who made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025, was designated for assignment by the club on Tuesday. Photo: Tampa Bay Rays

December 17, 2025

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

The Tampa Bay Rays designated outfielder Tristan Peters for assignment on Tuesday.

Peters (Winkler, Man.) was designated to make room on the club’s 40-man roster for the recently signed LHP Steven Matz.

Peters toiled in triple-A Durham for most of 2025. In 136 games, he authored a .266/.355/.429 slash line with 28 doubles and a career high 15 home runs and 76 RBIs. The left-handed hitting Canuck posted an 11.7% walk rate and a .306 BABIP with a .353 wOBA and an above-average 107 wRC+. He also led the team with 65 walks and ranked second among qualified players with a .784 OPS.

On top of his strong offensive numbers, Peters was also making highlight reel plays almost every week in the Bulls' outfield.

Against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on April 30, he scaled the centre field wall to take away a two-run home run. He followed this with a similar catch on July 27 against the Jumbo Shrimp again, this time preventing a three-run shot. These plays, on top of his other diving plays and his three outfield assists, made Peters one of the top outfield options for the Rays.

On August 8, Peters finally received his first promotion to the big leagues. Jonny DeLuca was heading to the IL, and the Rays called up Peters to replace him. The Canadian outfielder would play in four games for the Rays, going hitless while striking out seven times, before he was optioned back to Durham. It was a small sample size, but the Rays had a surplus of outfielders available last season.

Because Peters has less than three years of service time, he will be outrighted back to triple-A unless he is released or another team picks him up on the waiver wire. Given his small cap hit against the payroll and minor league options available, there is a chance that another team will pick him up and give him an opportunity to compete for a big league spot in spring training.

Should Peters remain in Tampa Bay, he will enter the new year competing for a spot in the outfield or on the big league bench against Jake Magnum, Chandler Simpson, Richie Palacios, Ryan Vilade, Jonny DeLuca, and newcomer Cedric Mullins.