Beckham gets the call from Rays

Beckham gets the call from Rays

Beckham gets the call from Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- After falling to Omaha in the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game Tuesday, infielder Tim Beckham received a piece of news he thought would be coming years earlier.

Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and the team's No. 16-ranked prospect, finally put on a Rays uniform as the team recalled him from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday and moved outfielder Brandon Guyer to the 60-day disabled list.

Beckham did not make it to Triple-A until the 2011 season and stayed there until Wednesday, while fellow top five picks of the same Draft -- Pedro Alvarez , Buster Posey, Eric Hosmer and Brian Matusz -- have since made the big leagues.

"It's still a dream come true to play in the Major Leagues," Beckham said. "It would have been great if it was a two- or three-year process, but you have to play the cards you're dealt. Sometimes, it takes a guy longer than another. You can't try to measure your success against other guys."

Manager Joe Maddon said he does not envision using Beckham in "high-leverage moments," but he still feels Beckham's time spent here could be valuable.

"He may not hardly get on the field, but when you get a guy up here and he feels what it's like, that can do something for his confidence," Maddon said. "Just being here and watching this could help."
