FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 11 , 2019
CONTACT: Max Thoma
[email protected]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — The Gary SouthShore RailCats announced that rookie phenom Tom Walraven has been moved to the 7-day DL with a strained oblique prior to tonight’s game vs the St. Paul Saints. His spot on the roster has been filled with the activation of reliever Sandy Lugo.

Walraven’s absence will create a big hole to feel in the near future. The New Haven grad is tied for the team lead with a .300 batting average and is second when it comes to on-base percentage (.409), slugging (.438) home runs (6). In fact, the first-year pro was the Player of the Month for the RailCats in both June and July.

The Pine Bush, N.Y. native made his professional baseball debut on June 17 as a defensive replacement against Chicago and picked up his first hit two days later in the series finale. Walraven tallied two multi-homer games in July; the first against Fargo-Moorhead consisted of two three-run blasts, including one to take the lead in the eighth; the second was up in Milwaukee and included a game-tying solo bomb to start the ninth.

He signed with team back on October 30, 2018.

Lugo was returned back to Gary on July 13 after originally getting traded to Cleburne on July 8.

The right-hander didn’t appear in a game with the RailRoaders and was 1-2 with a 1.37 ERA in 16 relief appearances with the ‘Cats. He leads the RailCats pitching staff with six saves and has allowed just three runs on 14 hits and 12 walks while striking out 31 over 19.2 innings.

The former Cincinnati Reds farmhand didn’t allow a run in a season-high-tying 13.1 straight innings to begin the year after signing his first Independent Professional Baseball (IPBF) contact with the RailCats on May 18. Lugo made his debut that night in the second game of the year and retired eight of the nine batters he faced, including the final seven. He threw 1.1 scoreless innings of relief in his home debut on May 22 vs. Sioux City and recorded his first save on May 25 vs. Sioux Falls with a perfect ninth.

Lugo signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an international free agent in 2014; after spending two seasons in rookie-ball he reached Advanced A with the club in 2017. Following the 2017 season, he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (36th overall) of the Triple-A Phase of the MLB Rule 5 Draft but didn’t see action for any Twins affiliate.

The RailCats return home tomorrow for the start of a six-game homestand. Monday’s game vs. the Texas AirHogs is at 7:10 p.m. and is another Metro Monday and Meaty Monday. Hamburgers cost just $2 and complimentary tickets to any remaining Monday game are available at participating Northwest Indiana Metro by T-Mobile locations.

Ticket packages for the 2019 Gary SouthShore RailCats season are available online at railcatsbaseball.com or by calling the RailCats ticket line at (219) 882-BALL. The RailCats box office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

--RAILCATS--