New Tampa Bay Ray was once a die-hard Yankee fan

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Rays’ Richie Palacios is now wearing his 4th different Major League uniform since being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2018. He was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals in January to Tampa Bay. Palacios likes the fit.

"It feels awesome," Palacios told Fox 13 Sports. "The colors are awesome too, so it's always nice to have some nice team colors. I'm definitely excited to be part of the group."

Palacios admits he didn't see this move coming.

"Obviously, when you're getting traded it's always a surprise, but for me once I got the call, I was extremely excited to come over here and see whatever I can do to help this team win," Palacios said."

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The Rays are counting on Palacios to play a lot of different positions. He came into the league as an infielder and was converted to an outfielder. The Rays like flexibility in their players.

Richie Palacios was traded to the Rays in January. 

"He's another guy that's versatile," Kevin Cash explained. "He can play the outfield, 2nd base, we're going to get him all over the outfield and certainly at 2nd base throughout the spring."

"The whole off-season, I worked back in the infield again to relearn some of the new batters that I've known growing up and still learning some new things," Palacios shared. "So now I'm able to play both, it is extremely important to me and to the team.

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Growing up in Brooklyn, Palacios naturally cheered for the hometown teams, the Nets, Giants and the New York Yankees, but now with the Rays he can't still be a Yankees fan. That's changed, right?

"Definitely a Yankees fan growing up, but once I went into professional baseball, I lost that immediately," Palacios said.

The Rays are counting on Palacios to play a lot of different positions. 

Palacios considers himself a grinder and a student of the game. He takes this game seriously, but given the demands and the pressure of playing this game, Palacios brings a positive vibe to the field.

READ: Rays' Pepiot, DeLuca ready to show return on Glasnow trade

"You know, 162 games, you've got to get some good energy in there or else games can get methodical," Palacio stated. "Days can get methodical, so you don't want that in a baseball season. It fits inline perfectly with the way I play and the way I like to enjoy the game and I feel at home here."

Feeling at home with a new team that's like him, he likes to win. 

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