Exclusive: JP Peterson on Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena scuffle: "I am shocked that Arozarena and Diaz are still here together"

The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a rocky start in 2023. Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz apparently got into a scuffle at the end of last season that led to some tension between the two. Podcaster JP Peterson has provided some insight into the unpleasant situation.

While the Rays earlier stated that the scuffle was purely verbal, Peterson shared that the two players threw down. The altercation was so serious that Diaz wasn't even in the clubhouse for over a week. Diaz proceeded to miss a significant phase of the season between Sept. 20-26.

JP Peterson spoke about the incident and what his sources told him in a Sportskeeda exclusive:

"I am shocked that Arozarena and Diaz are still here together. I thought Arozarena was going to get moved in the offseason"

Peterson was surprised to see Randy Arozarena return to the Rays in spring training. Despite his strong 2022 season, he expected the Rays to trade the speedy outfielder in the offseason.

The scuffle between the two may have resulted in some locker room issues during a critical stage of the season. The Rays were in the midst of a playoff race with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays at the time. They finished with a 2-3 record without Diaz, losing two series to the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays.

"OBVIOUSLY! Randy Arozarena drives in Yandy Diaz to make the score 3-2" - Talkin' Baseball

JP Peterson went on to say that the two players "got into it." Taking Yandy Diaz out of the lineup at such a crucial stage of the season likely hurt the team late in the season. Peterson also pointed out the dip in form that correlated to Diaz's absence.

JP Peterson says Rays' Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena threw down after a dispute at the end of last season

Randy Arozarena walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field

Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena are two of the Rays' top hitters and led the team in most offensive categories last season.

Arozarena ranked first in the roster in home runs (20), RBIs (89), hits (154) and stolen bases (32). He is a former Rookie of the Year (2021) and was voted the AL Championship Series MVP in 2020.

"Randy Arozarena is the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year @RandyArozarena | @RaysBaseball" - FOX Sports: MLB

Diaz put up an impressive .296/.401/.423 slash line last season. He led the team in OBP (.401) and OPS (.824). He ranked second in the lineup in runs (71) and hits (140).

The Tampa Bay Rays will hope that Diaz and Arozarena can make peace and move on from the ugly incident. With the season right around the corner, the last thing the club needs is friction between two of their star hitters.