Tampa Bay Rays Add To Division Lead Amid Injuries, Roster Shuffling

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Griffin Jax during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, successful St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

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If this seems for illustration a Tampa Bay Rays’ type of point to do, well, immoderate it takes to triumph the adjacent crippled connected their schedule. Beginning August 2, the time anterior to the waste and acquisition deadline, and done the past week, head Kevin Cash whitethorn person needed to double and triple cheque his inventory of disposable players. After all, the transactions were humming on astatine a accelerated pace. Consider that the Rays:

* Acquired 4 players via trade.

* Traded 1 subordinate from the progressive roster and dealt a bushel of prospects.

* Optioned 3 players to the minors.

* Designated 3 players for assignment.

* Sent 2 players to the injured list.

* Recalled 2 players from Triple-A Durham and different had his statement selected from Double-A Montgomery. Two of the 3 players were among those optioned pinch 1 of them (pitcher Michael Grove) recalled for a 2nd clip during the week.

Through it all, the squad won its first six games of a nine-game travel by sweeping Seattle and Colorado to summation its lead successful the American League East to a season-high 5.5 games complete the Yankees done Sunday’s action.

Suddenly, injuries deed rotation

With Shane McClanahan having been placed connected the 15-day IL connected July 31 pinch backmost tightness and Griffin Jax, who was scratched from Saturday evening’s commencement successful Seattle pinch elbow discomfort and besides landed connected the 15-day IL, the dream is that their absences are short term. McClanahan had a promising time Thursday erstwhile he threw a mates of innings of a simulated crippled astatine the Rays’ analyzable successful Port Charlotte. He felt bully and has different sim crippled scheduled.

Though the Rays were successful the marketplace for a starting pitcher, the woody pinch the Mets for righthander Freddy Peralta now looks for illustration 1 of necessity particularly if McClanahan, who has missed 2 starts and is innings restricted aft being idle the past 2 seasons owed to injury, and/or Jax are absent for an extended period. Speaking of Peralta, who could not get retired of the 4th inning and yielded 7 runs successful his first Tampa Bay commencement August 4 astatine Colorado, a return to thing resembling his 2025 shape (17-6, 2.70 ERA) would beryllium welcome.

As it is, the rotation consists of righthanded all-stars Nick Martinez and Drew Rasmussen, Peralta and lefty Ian Seymour. The Rays could spell pinch an opener and bulk-inning reliever aliases simply a bullpen time arsenic they did Saturday erstwhile Jax was scratched. They could besides spell shopping. (Zack Littell, who sounded truthful good for the nine for each aliases portion of 3 seasons, is disposable aft the Nationals sent him packing. You ne'er know.)

A mates of different things to support successful mind successful summation to McClanahan being monitored erstwhile he returns, is that Nick Martinez is 36 innings awkward of his profession precocious (166) of past play pinch Cincinnati. Drew Rasmussen, who missed astir of 2023, overmuch of 2024 and was capped astatine 150 innings successful 2025, is besides 36 innings awkward of his profession high, which was past season.

Steven Matz, who saved Sunday’s triumph successful Seattle for Seymour, is an in-house action to start. The seasoned lefty, though, has struggled this play (5-4, 5.55) aft scuffling arsenic a starter. He has besides had a brace of stints connected the IL owed to elbow inflammation and an ankle sprain.

Injury-bug bites infield

The injuries person not been constricted to the pitching unit arsenic they deed infielders Ben Williamson and Taylor Walls, though the second temporarily. Williamson was placed connected the 10-day IL (hamstring) earlier the bid against his erstwhile squad began, and Walls was scratched (back tightness) from Saturday’s starting lineup, though he came connected for protect purposes successful the precocious innings and played Sunday.

It appears arsenic though Williamson will not return astatine immoderate constituent soon. The 25-year-old, who was acquired from the Mariners successful the offseason arsenic portion of a three-team woody that besides included the Cardinals, played exclusively astatine 3rd pinch the M’s past play arsenic a rookie. He has been superb astatine 2nd (43 starts) and short (20) for the Rays while not bringing overmuch to array offensively, astatine slightest successful hitting .247 pinch a .641 OPS. However, he is adept of moving runners on and is 8-of-9 successful stolen bases.

Third clip the charm for Carson Williams?

Carson Williams, who was successful the Opening Day lineup, was recalled from Durham to return Williamson’s spot. Second guidelines tin beryllium covered by lefty-hitting Richie Palacios and the righthanded Ryan Vilade, who has chiefly played correct section while besides playing astatine first and, astir precocious for the first clip successful his career, second. Williams could spot clip astatine the position arsenic well.

This is Williams’ 3rd stint pinch the genitor nine this season. A shortstop passim his insignificant convention profession and successful 32 games during his debut pinch Tampa Bay past season, Cash penciled Williams into the lineup astatine 2nd guidelines doubly earlier this year. That could beryllium a motion of things to travel arsenic the Rays’ first-round action (28th overall) successful the 2021 draught was playing immoderate 2nd guidelines astatine Triple-A Durham.

Hitting has been different matter for Williams, who turned 23 successful June. He batted .172 (17-for-99) pinch the Rays past play aft he was recalled successful August to capable successful for the injured Walls. He batted .100 (3-for-30) successful his first 2 stints this twelvemonth and astatine the clip of his callback was hitting .226 pinch 11 homers and an alarming 118 strikeouts successful 314 at-bats pinch Durham. Regardless, pinch 7 weeks to play successful the regular season, this would look to beryllium rather an opportunity for Williams.

“The plaything decidedly needs a small spot of work, and that’s what I’ve been (working on),” he told reporters earlier Saturday’s crippled successful Seattle. “I decidedly still person the expertise to put the shot retired of the ballpark and make a quality astatine the sheet for this squad erstwhile I get my opportunities. But I besides really want to thief retired connected defense and immoderate occupation they request to capable while I’m up here.”