With 24 games left in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays, barring an epic collapse reminiscent of the 2011 Boston Red Sox, will be heading into the postseason. While nothing is set in stone at the moment, it doesn't hurt to prepare early for what should be a playoff bloodbath. At least the Rays front office is putting everything on the table when it comes to giving the team every advantage they could under the bright lights of the postseason.

Following their 7-3 loss to the Red Sox on Monday, Rays manager Kevin Cash gave everyone an insight on potentially calling up speedster Billy Hamilton for their playoff run — a move that could pay dividends for a team that has failed to get over the championship hump over and over again, including a defeat in the 2020 World Series.

“It’s something that we factor in all the time. I think we would look at him as a potential weapon,” Cash said, per Associated Press via ESPN.

Related Tampa Bay Rays NewsArticle continues below
former Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria throws out the first pitch before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field.
Evan Longoria gets touching message from Rays owner amid HOF plans
philadelphia phillies, ryan borucki, Devin Williams, Pete Fairbanks
3 Phillies trade targets after Jose Alvarado’s PED suspension
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen (19) is greeted in the dugout by teammates after scoring against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park.
Rays rumors: Barry Larkin relocating team to Orlando still a ‘viable option’

Billy Hamilton will be joining the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, Durham Bulls, after latching onto the Chicago White Sox organization in 2023. The White Sox outrighted Hamilton off the 40-man roster back in June and waived him off the roster completely in late August. Hamilton missed a month of action for the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate, only recently returning to full health just before the team cut him loose.

Now 32 years old, Hamilton never quite reached his promise as a prospect, as he failed to develop on the plate to complement his incredible speed on the basepaths. Even now, Hamilton cannot hit a lick; in 89 plate appearances with the Charlotte Knights, Hamilton put up a putrid .147/.261/.253 slash line thanks in large part to his eye-popping 32.6 percent strikeout rate.

Thus, Hamilton will be nothing more than a speed specialist come postseason time — a strategy that has been deployed by other playoff teams in the past. One name that immediately comes to mind is Terrance Gore, a player who made postseason rosters for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs. Hamilton is more than qualified for that role, as he has tallied 326 stolen bases (in 398 attempts) in 11 big league seasons.