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'I'm going to try and not tear up': Kevin Kiermaier on his Rays future

Kevin Kiermaier knows very well that his time with the Tampa Bay Rays could very well end after this season.

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Kevin Kiermaier knows very well that his time with the Tampa Bay Rays could very well end after this season, which is why he is preparing himself for that possibility.

The Rays center fielder recently underwent hip surgery that officially ended his 2022 season. He is confident he'll be ready when the 2023 campaign rolls in, but the question is whether he'll still be with Tampa Bay by that time.

Kiermaier is on the final year of his contract with Tampa Bay, and while there is a team option, the Rays are not expected to pick it up.

“Throughout this month that I've been down, I've reflected a lot on a lot of things,” Kiermaier shared, via ESPN. “A lot of memories here, I'm going to try and not tear up, but I've learned that the things that can make me tear and cry pretty easily are my kids and Tampa Bay Rays.”

Kevin Kiermaier has certainly seemed to accept that his time with the Rays is over. Sure, he is still open to coming back to the only team he has known his whole career, but his current focus is rehabbing and getting back to 100 percent in a bid to make him desirable should Tampa Bay let him walk away.

“I'm driven, I'm motivated, this is like, for me, chasing something again,” Kiermaier added. “I'm going to do everything in my power to try to look like the player I was a couple years ago, and hopefully a team, several teams will be wanting me. That's what I plan, and I'm very excited.”

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About the Author

Angelo Guinhawa is a senior associate editor at ClutchPoints, primarily covering the NBA, NFL, soccer, and college sports. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.