LATEST NEWS
Aug. 6: RHP Tyler Glasnow (back spasms) scratched from series finale against Tigers
About two hours prior to first pitch on Sunday, the Rays announced that Glasnow would not make his scheduled start in Detroit due to back spasms. Manager Kevin Cash said that Glasnow's back "locked up on him" Saturday, and that he received treatment throughout Saturday and again early on Sunday. Ultimately, the Rays exercised caution with Glasnow, the American League Pitcher of the Month in July, opting to let him rest rather than potentially aggravate the issue. Glasnow will also see a doctor on Monday, Tampa Bay's off-day.
Erasmo Ramírez got the nod in Glasnow's absence. Ramírez is 2-3 with a 5.34 ERA in 25 games this season, all but two with the Nationals. He has pitched five innings for the Rays, allowing seven hits but zero runs.
Aug. 6: INF Vidal Bruján optioned to Triple-A Durham; LHP Jalen Beeks recalled from Triple-A
The Rays recalled Beeks from Durham in an effort to bolster their relief corps ahead of Sunday's unexpected bullpen day that popped up due to Tyler Glasnow's injury. The lefty is 2-3 with a 6.27 ERA in 27 appearances (seven starts) with Tampa Bay this season.
To make room for Beeks, the Rays shipped Bruján to the Bulls. Through four stints in the Majors this season, Bruján is hitting .193.
Aug. 5: LHP Shane McClanahan (left forearm tightness) to meet with ElAttrache
McClanahan is headed to Los Angeles for a Monday appointment with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to determine the extent of his injured left forearm. The left-hander exited his start with "tightness" in his left forearm after just four innings on Wednesday and was placed on the injured list the next day. Tampa Bay has not released an update on McClanahan's condition, but ElAttrache is among the most highly sought-after orthopedic surgeons in professional sports, which suggests something more involved than simple soreness.
It's tough news for a Rays club that’s dealt with several major pitching injuries this season. McClanahan missed two weeks last month due to mid-back tightness. Tampa Bay still has a solid front-of-the-rotation trio in Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin and recently acquired Aaron Civale, with converted reliever Zack Littell the most likely option to replace McClanahan while he’s out. Lefty Josh Fleming is also working his way back, having thrown four scoreless innings in an Aug. 1 rehab appearance for Triple-A Durham.
INJURY UPDATES
10-day and 15-day IL
LHP Shane McClanahan (left forearm tightness)
Expected return: TBD
McClanahan will visit premier orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Aug. 7 for a consult on his injury. While the Rays have yet to release an official diagnosis or reveal imaging results on McClanahan, an appointment with ElAttrache suggests the injury is more serious than just tightness.
After he allowed five runs in four innings during an 82-pitch start at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 2, McClanahan was sent back to Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 3 for further testing, at which point he was placed on the 15-day IL without an official diagnosis or imaging results revealed. The club announced it was “in the process of gathering further information.” (Last updated: Aug. 5)
INF Taylor Walls (left oblique strain)
Expected return: Likely September
Walls did not play on July 21 after being pinch-hit for late in the Rays’ loss to the Orioles on July 20. He was placed on the injured list the following day, retroactive to July 21. The switch-hitting infielder has struggled at the plate lately, but he’s key to Tampa Bay’s position player group as a slick-fielding defender at shortstop, second and third base.
Walls missed time in Spring Training due to a strained right oblique, but he could point to one specific incident when his oblique "grabbed" then. This time, Walls said, the tightness intensified over time. He could be out four to six weeks, although he hopes to shorten the recovery period. (Last updated: July 22)
C Francisco Mejía (left knee MCL sprain)
Expected return: Possibly August
Mejía left the Rays' loss to the Orioles on July 20 after six innings due to a left knee injury he sustained on a play at the plate in the fourth, saying his knee got "stuck" before he dropped the ball while trying to tag Anthony Santander.
Mejía immediately felt some pain, reminiscent of a similar injury he sustained while playing for San Diego, but it became a more significant issue when he tried to hustle to first on a fourth-inning groundout.
After he went on the 10-day IL on July 21, manager Kevin Cash said the Rays will reevaluate the switch-hitting catcher after two weeks of rest, rehab and treatment, and he could miss anywhere from three to six weeks. (Last updated: July 21)
60-day IL
LHP Josh Fleming (left elbow inflammation)
Expected return: Early to mid-August
Fleming wasn't able to pitch as scheduled at Fenway Park on June 3, and he was placed on the injured list after receiving a cortisone shot three days later. Fleming threw off the mound for the first time since his injury on July 4 and began a Minor League rehab assignment on July 22 by pitching two clean innings with two strikeouts for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays.
Fleming moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Durham on July 27 and pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk as the starting pitcher. He pitched four scoreless innings after an opener for Durham on Aug. 1. (Last updated: Aug. 2)
RHP Andrew Kittredge (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Likely mid- to late August
After striking out six while allowing just one hit over three appearances with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays to begin his Minor League rehab assignment from July 4-15, Kittredge moved to Triple-A Durham on July 18 and recorded one strikeout during another scoreless inning.
Kittredge continued to ramp up his workload on July 20, retiring four of the five batters he faced for Durham. He allowed six runs while recording one out on July 23, then returned with a scoreless inning three days later and continued his rehab assignment from there. The Rays seem likely to extend Kittredge's rehab, giving him time to regain his prior form and setting him up for a mid- to late-August return.
Kittredge, a 2021 American League All-Star reliever who underwent Tommy John surgery in June '22, has a chance to impact Tampa Bay's bullpen in a big way down the stretch if everything continues to go well. (Last updated: July 31)
RHP Shane Baz (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: 2024
Baz, who underwent Tommy John surgery on Sept. 28 and will miss all of this season, has enjoyed a smooth rehabilitation process so far. He began playing catch near the end of March and was throwing on flat ground from 60 feet as of April 13, when he was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Baz has continued his throwing program, with an eye on getting into instructional league game action before enjoying as normal an offseason as possible. The young starter accompanied the Rays to his hometown of Houston to continue his rehab work during the club's three-game series against the Astros. (Last updated: July 28)
RHP Drew Rasmussen (right flexor strain)
Expected return: Midseason 2024
Rasmussen went on the IL a day after tossing seven scoreless innings on May 11 in the Rays' 8-2 victory at Yankee Stadium. Manager Kevin Cash announced on July 8 that Rasmussen was slated to undergo a hybrid internal brace procedure, which will sideline him the rest of this year and until the middle of the 2024 campaign. He had the procedure as scheduled on July 24. (Last updated: July 25)
LHP Garrett Cleavinger (right knee sprain)
Expected return: 2024
Cleavinger, who was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 12, was injured in the 10th inning of the Rays’ 8-7 win over the Yankees on May 7 after tumbling to the ground during a rundown along the third-base line. Cleavinger landed awkwardly and quickly gestured toward his knee in obvious pain.
Tampa Bay’s athletic training staff brought out a wheelchair to take him off the field, but the lefty declined the offer and attempted to throw a warmup pitch before walking into the dugout. He was diagnosed with a right ACL injury and underwent season-ending surgery on May 17 to repair his ACL and meniscus.
Cleavinger is expected to be ready for Spring Training next year. (Last updated: June 23)
LHP Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: 2024
When Springs exited his start on April 13 at Tropicana Field, the Rays initially announced his injury as ulnar neuritis in his left arm -- a nerve issue he described as feeling like “kind of a funny bone, kind of a shock, zinger kind of thing down the forearm” and hand.
Springs was evaluated by Rays team physician Dr. Koco Eaton, then received a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister and transferred to the 60-day IL on April 22. Springs underwent successful Tommy John surgery on April 24, which will keep him out until next season. (Last updated: April 24)