Shushkewich: Peters worthy of a call-up from Rays
Okotoks Dawgs alum Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) is batting over .300 for the triple-A Durham Bulls and was just named International League Player of the Month. Photo: Durham Bulls
July 5, 2025
By Tyson Shushkewich
Canadian Baseball Network
There hasn’t been a player from Winkler, Manitoba, to grace a Major League ballpark yet, but outfielder Tristan Peters is trying to change that.
One could argue that he’s already earned the opportunity to prove what he can do in the big leagues, although he continues to toil away in the minor leagues.
A seventh-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021, Peters has become a go-to player in the Tampa Bay Rays’ system after he was acquired by the organization in November 2022.
He reached triple-A Durham in 2024, and the 25-year-old has returned to the Bulls for the 2025 campaign.
After posting a .746 OPS in his first foray in triple-A last season, the Canuck is putting up stellar numbers and making highlight reel plays that are garnering attention from rival scouts and executives.
Through 83 games with Durham, the left-handed bat owns a .306/.398/.486 slash line with an impressive .884 OPS through 284 at-bats. He leads the Bulls in terms of qualified batting average, OPS, and doubles (21), while ranking second on the squad in RBIs (50) and SLG. Peters is also tied for the team lead in triples (3) and owns a 12.7% walk rate compared to a 15.7% strikeout rate, with his strikeout numbers representing a four percent improvement compared to his 2024 season stats.
The former Okotoks Dawg impressed in June, earning two Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Week honours and also pocketing the International League Player of the Month Award.
This past month, Peters collected 35 hits to the tune of a .385 batting average while also chipping in 11 doubles, five home runs (62.5% of his season total), a .670 SLG, and a 1.156 OPS. This includes a multi-home run game to start the month against the Memphis Redbirds and a grand slam against the Redbirds on June 24. He has continued this solid work into July, going 4-for-13 at the plate, falling a home run short of the cycle on Thursday against the Norfolk Tides.
On top of his play at the plate, Peters has made numerous highlight-reel grabs in the outfield, including a diving catch in centre against Memphis on June 27. This season, Peters has split his time between all three outfield positions but has spent the most time in centre field (296 2/3 innings). He has one outfield assist to his name.
Peters has made other ridiculous catches in the outfield earlier this season as well, including a home run-robbing snag over the centre field wall against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp that was a precursor to fellow Canuck Denzel Clarke’s (Pickering, Ont.) grab against the Los Angeles Angels on June 16. It picked up enough attention that the official social media accounts for Minor League Baseball labelled it as an early ‘catch of the year’ candidate.
Looking at the Tampa Bay Rays’ roster, the club has struggled to find consistency in the outfield. They’ve used 10 different players across the three spots and currently work with Josh Lowe, Jake Magnum, Christopher Morel, and Chandler Simpson on a rotating basis after demoting Kameron Misner to triple-A. Jose Caballero can also suit up in the corner outfield spots if needed, and the club is without Richie Palacios, who is on the IL for a right knee sprain.
Simply put, Peters brings more to the table than Simpson, with the Canadian boasting more power and a stronger presence at the plate with a glove and athleticism that can track the ball well. Simpson wins on the speed front, but the same could be said for 99% of the league, given his plus-plus run ability. While Peters likely wouldn’t replace Lowe or Magnum on the active roster, there is an argument that he is more positionally flexible compared to Morel, as the Dominican cannot handle centre field duties.
With his recent play and the Rays embroiled in an AL Wild Card race and knocking on the door for first place in the division, there is no argument left on the table as to why Peters should remain in triple-A. He demolishes right-handed pitching (.947 OPS), holds his own against the left-handed bats (.250/.365/.269 slash with a .634 OPS), and has plus fielding ability in centre field (with the ability to play across the grass).
It’s only a matter of time before the Rays wise up and bring him to the big leagues; it would be a disservice to him and the fans not to.