Nick Fortes has gotten more comfortable with the Rays, and also better

Catcher Nick Fortes' first spin with the Rays last year was a blur.

A Marlin since the 2018 draft, he was traded unexpectedly to the Rays just before the July 31 deadline and immediately thrust into action, having to adjust to a different team and learn a new pitching staff.

"I was with Miami my whole entire career, so I was very comfortable there, in a sense, because it was familiar," Fortes said.

"Getting traded was an adjustment for me, so it took me a little bit longer than I would have liked to settle in."

Learning a dozen-plus pitchers, getting a grasp on their repertoires, determining how they can best be handled and what makes each tick was a challenge, along with understanding how the Rays do things.

Even more so because there was no other catcher to provide help, as the Rays were doing an overall makeover at the position.

The team also added Hunter Feduccia, while trading starter Danny Jansen and designating backup Matt Thaiss for assignment. Ben Rortvedt, who caught 26 games before being sent to Triple A in late May, also was traded.

"It's a tough position to be in for anybody," Fortes said. "But catching, I think it amplifies a little bit more because there's just a little bit more that comes with the position."

While Fortes was, properly, prioritizing the defensive and pitch-calling aspects of the job, his production at the plate was somewhat disappointing.

There were some signs of improvement over the final few weeks of the season, but in 38 games with Tampa Bay he hit only .213 with a 24.8% strikeout rate and a .655 OPS. (In 59 games with the Marlins, he was .240, 15.6%, .637.)

Hitting coach Chad Mottola suggested some adjustments but didn't push them, knowing Fortes had a lot to handle.

"With a midseason trade, it's always a little tougher to put it in play," Mottola said.

They talked again at the end of the season about some ways to get better, and Fortes, 29, got to work during the winter.

A "slight adjustment" to his swing - a tweak in how he stood and moved at the plate, adding a bit of a side bend to make the bat path less flat - has had a big payoff.

Fortes, through Friday, was hitting .292 with a home run, seven RBIs, a 12.9% strikeout rate and a .758 OPS.

"Just adjusting my posture a little bit to try to get more of a positive attack angle on the ball," Fortes explained. "Naturally, I'm pretty flat. So, pitches at the bottom of the zone, I would either beat them straight into the ground or kind of flare them weakly up in the air.

"I tried to get my bat path working a little bit more, like, up through the middle in order to be able to drive the ball towards the big part (of the field) a little bit better."

Mottola said the small change made "a huge difference," specifically in giving Fortes a way to handle breaking balls.

"Typically, my approach normally tightens up, and my at-bats get better, when my swing feels good," Fortes said.

Manager Kevin Cash said the improvement is notable.

"‘Forty' goes up there a lot and has a lot of confidence within his approach," Cash said. "It feels like he has a good understanding of what he's trying to accomplish while understanding what the pitcher is trying to do to him. And he's always ready to hit."

Now a month into his first full season with the Rays, Fortes has a much better handle on things on both sides of the ball.

"I don't like having to make excuses for anything," he said. "So, being able to have a full spring and have it be more like a normal approach to a season has definitely been nice."

Even with the addition of new starters Nick Martinez and Steven Matz, the return of Shane McClanahan from an extended injury absence and a shuffled bullpen, Fortes has a solid grasp on the pitching staff.

"I feel a lot more comfortable," he said. "I've gotten to know these guys a lot better. … I've got a pretty good baseline for how these guys like to pitch and also who they are as people."

Pitching coach Kyle Snyder likes what he sees.

"He's just more confident," Snyder said. "I think he's more confident in some of the relationships and the rapport that he's been able to develop coming out of spring training with these guys.

"And he's sharp, man. He sees things back there that help instill confidence in the approach as the game kind of unfolds and one pitch leads you to the next. I know our guys really enjoy throwing to him."

Matz does: "He's been really good. He seems like he catches on really quick with what you're trying to do."

At the plate, Fortes is more comfortable in a different way.

He learned to play baseball, as many other kids do, from his father.

Alfredo Fortes was born in Cuba and came to the United States when he was about 8. He played the game he loved through high school and community college, then settled in DeLand and shared his knowledge with his two sons.

They built a cage in their backyard, and he threw batting practice every day to Nick and younger brother Chris.

Though he had a hard time keeping the ball down - which led to Nick gaining the unusual skill of tomahawking high pitches - it was good enough.

Nick earned area and statewide top player honors while lettering four years at DeLand High, played three years at Ole Miss (receiving all-SEC second team honors) and was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the Marlins.

The improvement he has shown at the plate and residual confidence is the product of Rays coaches and staff, as well as Fortes' own hard work.

But also the lessons Alfredo shared more than a dozen years ago.

"He's always loved the game, and he introduced it to me when I was young, and I loved it as well," Fortes said.

"He just always told me to keep it simple - line drives, gap to gap, use the whole field. Kind of how my approach has evolved now. So I feel like I've kind of transformed back into my kid version of myself this year, which has been nice."

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 9:33 AM.