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Nick Martinez Nick Martinez Solid again in no-decision
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 10:39 PM
Martinez did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros, allowing one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Analysis: Martinez was cruising until he yielded a solo homer to Yordan Alvarez in the sixth inning, departing in a 1-1 tie after allowing a single to the next batter he faced. While he hasn't been able to notch a quality start in either outing, the 35-year-old has yielded just one earned run while pitching into the sixth frame in each of his past two starts. He'll take a 2.61 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 61:18 K:BB across 100 innings this season into a home matchup with the Yankees next week. |
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Bryan Baker Bryan Baker Secures 23rd save
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 10:33 PM
Baker earned the save in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Analysis: Baker was called upon to close things out for the second straight game and did so on just eight pitches. It continued an All-Star-worthy campaign for the 31-year-old, who has converted 23 of 26 save chances while posting a 1.83 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB across 34.1 innings this season. |
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Nick Fortes Nick Fortes Raps homer, double in win
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 10:08 PM
Fortes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over Houston.
Analysis: Despite seeing limited action behind the plate, Fortes is making the most out of his playing time recently. Over his last seven games (17 at-bats), the 29-year-old backstop is hitting .412 with the aforementioned two extra-base hits, five RBI, five runs scored and a walk. Fortes should continue battling with Hunter Feduccia for reps behind the dish moving ahead. |
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Victor Mesa Jr. Victor Mesa Jr. In Friday's lineup for Simpson
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 5:51 PM
Mesa will start in left field and bat sixth against the Astros on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Chandler Simpson was initially slated to start in right field but was scratched from Friday's lineup due to sore right index and middle fingers, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Mesa will now start in right field while Cedric Mullins and Jonny DeLuca man center and left, respectively. |
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Chandler Simpson Chandler Simpson Scratched from Friday's lineup
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 5:49 PM
Simpson was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Astros due to sore right index and middle fingers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Simpson jammed his fingers while sliding into second base during Thursday's game against the Royals. The move is a precautionary one, meaning Simpson could be available off the bench and be back in the lineup for Saturday's contest. Victor Mesa will take over in left field for Friday's series opener. |
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Hunter Feduccia Hunter Feduccia Idle Friday
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 4:16 PM
Feduccia is not in Tampa Bay's starting lineup against Houston on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Feduccia will be on the bench for Friday's contest while Nick Fortes starts behind home plate and bats ninth while forming a batter with right-hander Nick Martinez. Feduccia is coming off a three-hit game against the Royals on Thursday and has a .638 OPS with one home run and nine RBI across 120 plate appearances this season. |
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Richie Palacios Richie Palacios Sitting Friday vs. Houston
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 4:15 PM
Palacios is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Astros on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Ben Williamson will start at second base and bat seventh against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti in Friday's series opener. Palacios has gone 1-for-14 with an RBI over his last five games and has a .186 batting average since June 1. |
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Victor Mesa Jr. Victor Mesa Jr. Not in Friday's lineup
Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 4:13 PM
Mesa is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Astros on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Even with right-hander Spencer Arrighetti on the mound for the Astros, the lefty-hitting Mesa will be on the bench for Friday's series opener while Jonny DeLuca, Cedric Mullins and Chandler Simpson start in the outfield from left to right. Mesa is slashing .188/.282/.333 with one steal, three home runs and eight RBI across 79 plate appearances this season. |
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Bryan Baker Bryan Baker Dominance continues in 22nd save
Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 10:08 PM
Baker secured the save Thursday against the Royals, striking out one in a clean ninth inning.
Analysis: Baker continues to run away with Tampa Bay's closing gig. The 31-year-old right-hander has yielded just one run since May 17, a stretch of 15 outings, and he last blew a save back on May 13. His 22 saves trail only Cade Smith's 26 for the major-league lead, and Baker boasts a 1.89 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB over 33.1 innings. |
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Ian Seymour Ian Seymour Dominates in fifth win
Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 10:03 PM
Seymour (5-1) earned the win Thursday against the Royals, allowing one run on three hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out eight.
Analysis: That's now back-to-back quality starts for Seymour, who has excelled over his past five outings (three starts) while getting stretched out. During that span, the 27-year-old southpaw has a 2.52 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB covering 25 innings. Seymour, who holds a 4.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 60:21 K:BB over 56 innings on the year, is pushing for a permanent stay in the Rays' rotation, but a tough assignment against the Yankees awaits him for his next start. |
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Jesse Scholtens Jesse Scholtens Throwing again, timeline TBD
Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 3:27 PM
Scholtens (wrist) completed a 20-pitch bullpen session June 8 but is without a clear target date for a return, MLB.com reports.
Analysis: The Rays haven't indicated that Scholtens suffered a setback following that bullpen session, but the lack of recent updates on his status likely suggests that his return from the 15-day injured list isn't imminent. Scholtens posted a 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB in 37.2 innings over nine appearances (two starts) for Tampa Bay before hitting the shelf May 26 due to a right wrist strain. |
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Back in action for Double-A club
Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 3:12 PM
Overn (undisclosed) has gone 4-for-9 with a home run, a double, three walks, two stolen bases, three RBI and two runs in two games for Double-A Montgomery since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Analysis: After spending just over a month on the shelf due to the unspecified issue, Overn has hit the ground running since rejoining the Montgomery lineup. Acquired from the Orioles over the winter as part of the prospect haul the Rays received in the deal that sent right-hander Shane Baz to Baltimore, Overn has enjoyed an outstanding first season in the organization. Through 40 games with Montgomery, Overn is slashing .317/.385/.553 with eight home runs and 30 steals. |
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Cedric Mullins Cedric Mullins Surging in power department
Wed, Jul 1, 2026, 10:16 PM
Mullins went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Royals.
Analysis: Mullins is on a power surge, going yard three times in his past four outings. The 31-year-old center fielder is also riding a decent six-game hitting streak, but he still has plenty of work to do to enhance his season numbers. Through 281 plate appearances, Mullins is slashing .212/.291/.347 with nine homers, 27 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 29 runs scored. |
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Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly Grabs fourth save
Wed, Jul 1, 2026, 9:54 PM
Kelly earned the save in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Royals, allowing one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings.
Analysis: Kelly entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning, where he'd induce a ground out off the bat of Bobby Witt to strand runners on first and second. The right-hander came back out for the ninth and worked around a leadoff single to earn his fourth save of the year. Kelly has been solid overall this season, typically working in a set-up role ahead of Bryan Baker, posting a 2.42 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP and 30:7 K:BB across 39.1 innings. |
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Shane McClanahan Shane McClanahan Notches seventh win
Wed, Jul 1, 2026, 9:25 PM
McClanahan (7-5) earned the win Wednesday over the Royals, allowing three hits and no walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out four.
Analysis: McClanahan certainly appeared to benefit from the extra rest he got after Tampa Bay elected to skip his last turn in the rotation. The southpaw was excellent, as he blanked Kansas City to earn his first win since May 31. McClanahan turned the page on a rough month of June, where he went 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA across four starts (18.2 innings). His ERA now sits at 3.05 through 16 starts (79.2 innings) this season with a 1.17 WHIP and 77:28 K:BB. McClanahan is tentatively lined up to face the Yankees at home his next time out. |
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Junior Caminero Junior Caminero Extends homer streak to six games
Wed, Jul 1, 2026, 9:17 PM
Caminero went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Royals.
Analysis: Caminero put the Rays ahead early with his two-run, 425-foot blast off Seth Lugo in the first inning. Caminero has now gone deep in six straight games, tying a Rays franchise record, while going 14-for-31 (.452) with nine homers in his last eight contests. The 22-year-old third baseman is now slashing .293/.383/.561 with 24 homers, 54 RBI and 54 runs scored across 363 plate appearances this season. |
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Junior Caminero Junior Caminero Historic power surge continues
Wed, Jul 1, 2026, 3:14 AM
Caminero went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 10-4 win over the Royals.
Analysis: Caminero delivered the biggest blow of Tampa Bay's six-run third inning, crushing a three-run homer off Noah Cameron to break the game open. The 22-year-old has now homered in five straight games and is batting .500 (10-for-20) with 15 RBI during that stretch. Even more impressively, Caminero has launched eight home runs over his last seven games, becoming the first player age 22 or younger to accomplish that feat since at least 1900. The third baseman is now slashing .294/.384/.555 with 23 home runs, 12 doubles, 52 RBI and 53 runs scored across 82 games this season. |
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Ryan Vilade Ryan Vilade Productive campaign continues
Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 9:47 PM
Vilade went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored during the Rays' 10-4 win over the Royals on Tuesday.
Analysis: Although Vilade is stuck in a part-time role, he's been effective when given playing time in 2026. Through 215 plate appearances, the utility man is slashing .278/.343/.484 with six homers, six doubles, 28 RBI and three stolen bases. Jake Fraley (hernia) is on a minor-league rehab assignment, and his eventual return to the Rays will create another obstacle to at-bats for Vilade. |
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Yandy Diaz Yandy Diaz Back in action Tuesday
Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 3:50 PM
Diaz (shoulder) is batting leadoff as the designated hitter Tuesday against the Royals.
Analysis: The 34-year-old departed Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks due to a left shoulder strain, but he's good to go for Tuesday's series opener following Monday's team off day. Diaz has carried a scorching bat in June with a .391/.468/.489 slash line in 25 games, though he has just seven extra-base hits (six doubles and one homer). |
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Shane McClanahan Shane McClanahan Back in rotation Wednesday
Tue, Jun 30, 2026, 1:03 PM
McClanahan is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Royals in Kansas City, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: McClanahan will return to the bump on seven days' rest, after the Rays elected to skip his turn through the rotation last week in an effort to monitor his workload coming off two seasons that were essentially wiped out due to injury. The 29-year-old has thus far been a picture of health in 2026, though he had seen his effectiveness wane over his four June starts (5.79 ERA, 1.82 WHIP in 18.2 innings). The Rays are hoping that the extra rest will allow McClanahan to deliver a bounce-back performance Wednesday, when he'll be taking on a banged-up Royals lineup that could be without one of its hotter hitters in Jac Caglianone (groin). |
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