— Hayden Hurst has finally found a sport Austin Corbett Jersey , position and team that are best suited for his athletic ability: football, tight end, Baltimore Ravens.
After being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round of the 2012 draft, Hurst pitched in the Gulf Coast League in 2013. He tried first base the following year before calling it a career.
“It wasn’t exactly the easiest three years of my life. But I learned a lot about myself,” Hurst said.
He then played football at South Carolina, lining up as a wide receiver in 2015 before moving to tight end. In 38 games with the Gamecocks, Hurst scored four touchdowns — one of them on a 2-yard run.
Still, Hurst was impressive enough to be picked 25th overall by the Ravens in the 2018 NFL draft. Just 39 minutes into his first game last Thursday night, the 6-foot-4 A.J. Green Youth Jersey , 245-pound rookie caught a touchdown pass to help Baltimore beat Chicago 17-16 in the Hall of Fame Game.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Hurst said after Saturday’s practice. “I’m a big body guy, and I like to be utilized in the red zone. I’m a threat there. At South Carolina, I wasn’t used a whole lot in the red zone. Nut here I think they’re going to take advantage of it. So it should be a fun career.”
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has long relied on his tight end for big plays and touchdowns. From Todd Heap to Dennis Pitta to Benjamin Watson, the man in the middle of the field has been a vital component of the Baltimore offense.
Hurst could very well be the newest addition to that impressive list.
“Joe throws to the tight ends a lot. He has a lot of faith in that position,” Hurst noted. “When things kind of break down, he tries to find us. It puts more emphasis on my position.”
Flacco didn’t take a snap in Baltimore’s preseason opener, yet both Baltimore touchdowns were scored by tight ends. Hurst’s 8-yard TD came on a pass from Lamar Jackson, a former Heisman Trophy winner who was after Hurst (32nd overall) but has received far more publicity and acclaim.
“The quarterback gets all the attention. That’s how this league works Tremaine Youth Edmunds Youth Jersey ,” Hurst said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”
Baltimore lists six tight ends on the roster, so the 24-year-old Hurst is going to have to earn playing time. Though he admits he needs to know the playbook better, Hurst has already made a positive impression.
“It was good to see Hayden play well in the first game. That’s the first test,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “The next test is to come back and have a good week of practice and take it into the next game.”
Toward that end, Hurst made a sensational grab between three defenders Saturday, drawing a collective cheer from the fans in attendance.
Not bad for a former baseball player.
“I’m glad I experienced it,” Hurst says of his abbreviated baseball career. “It kind of hardened me, made me the football player that I am today. That’s why I play fast and physical, because I don’t want anything to be taken away from me like I kind of had with baseball.”
In other news A.J. Green Jersey , the Ravens activated six-time Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda from the physically unable to perform list Saturday. Yanda had offseason shoulder surgery and will slowly be worked back into a practice routine.
“Very encouraging,” Harbaugh said. “This was the target date, so he’s right now schedule.”
Ryne Stanek is set for a new role in the Tampa Bay rotation – sort of.
The reliever will likely now start two out of every five games in the Rays‘ ongoing bullpen-day experiment.
Wilson Ramos homered, six Tampa Bay relievers combined for a five-hitter and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.
With right-handers Chris Archer and Jake Faria on the disabled list, Tampa Bay is using relievers to start three times through the rotation.
Stanek opened the game, striking out three in two perfect innings, and was followed by Austin Pruitt (2 2/3 innings), Jonny Venters (one-third of an inning), Chaz Roe (1 1/3 innings) Dak Prescott Jersey , Jose Alvarado (1 2/3 innings) and Sergio Romo (one inning).
”We won, so it’s a pretty good day,” Stanek said. ”It’s like anything, the more you do something, the more comfortable you’re going to be. It’s definitely starting to become a little more normal. It’s not really coming like a surprise.”
It was Stanek’s fourth start.
”Stanek set the tone,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ”The big story of the game was the bullpen, how they pieced it together.”
Pruitt (2-3) allowed four hits and a run but picked up the win. Romo allowed the other hit but locked down his second save.
”It’s always fun seeing guys come in behind you and get the job done,” Pruitt said.
Tampa Bay has won three of four following an eight-game skid.
Ramos put the Rays up 2-0 with his two-run drive off Jaime Garcia (2-5) in the third.
Garcia gave up four runs, four hits DJ Chark Jaguars Jersey , four walks and struck out four in five-plus innings. The left-hander is 1-4 in seven road starts, allowing 28 earned runs over 31 1/3 innings.
”I competed and tried to make pitches,” Garcia said. ”There’s a couple of walks there that I’ve got to do a better there.”
Garcia departed after C.J Cron walked and went to third on Willy Adames‘ double to start the sixth. Pinch-hitter Joey Wendle and Mallex Smith both had run-scoring singles off Joe Biagini that made it 4-1.
Toronto had runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth but scored just once on Devon Travis‘ grounder off Pruitt.
”We had a chance to tie it, and then who knows?” Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
The Blue Jays have been held to one run or fewer 11 times.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: 3B Josh Donaldson (left calf tightness) remains day to day. … RHP Marcus Stroman (shoulder) will make a rehab start Wednesday night with Class A Dunedin.
Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier (right thumb torn ligament) went 2 for 4 with a walk in his first minor league rehab game with Class A Charlotte and hopes to be back June 22. … OF Johnny Field (sore knee) was available off the bench.
HOUSE OF HORRORS
The Blue Jays have dropped the first two games in the three-game set and are 73-105 at Tropicana Field. It’s the most losses at any road ballpark since 1998, the Rays’ inaugural season. ”They’ve always held us in check down here,” Gibbons said. ”I don’t care what the roster is, I don’t care what team is here. It’s always kind of been that way.”
REACHING A DECADE
Romo reached 10 years of major league service time Monday and was given a postgame celebration by his teammates. ”A pretty awesome day,” Romo said.
UP NEXT
Tampa Bay RHP Wilmer Font (0-1) will start another bullpen game Wednesday against Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (8-3).
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