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Jake Fraley Jake Fraley Kicks off rehab assignment at Triple-A
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 11:18 AM
Fraley (hernia) went 1-for-3 while playing six innings in right field Tuesday in his first rehab game for Triple-A Durham.
Analysis: After undergoing hernia surgery in May and landing on the injured list, Fraley received the green light to begin a rehab assignment in late June. The 31-year-old made just five appearances in the minors before being pulled off the assignment in mid-July when he experienced a setback, but after a prolonged shutdown, he's made enough progress to resume playing in games. Due to the extended time he's missed, Fraley will likely need multiple games at Triple-A to regain his timing at the plate and improve his conditioning. He could be a candidate to return from the 60-day injured list after the active roster expands to 28 men next Tuesday. |
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Jacob Melton Jacob Melton Blasts homer, steals base in Triple-A return
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 11:13 AM
Melton (hamstring) went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base Tuesday in his return to the Triple-A Durham lineup after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.
Analysis: Melton missed approximately three and a half weeks due to a right hamstring strain but looked plenty healthy in his return to the Triple-A lineup while extending his hitting streak to seven games in the process. Over 168 plate appearances at Durham this season, Melton is slashing .307/.410/.562 with seven home runs and 26 steals. He's part of the Rays' 40-man roster and could get a chance to make his Tampa Bay debut in September, when the active roster expands to 28. |
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Ian Seymour Ian Seymour Saddled with loss in Detroit
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 10:11 AM
Seymour (9-5) took the loss Tuesday, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 5.2 innings of relief as the Rays fell 4-1 to the Tigers. He struck out five without walking a batter.
Analysis: Entering the game in the third inning after opener Casey Legumina had given Tampa Bay seven outs, Seymour didn't pitch poorly but was perhaps catching too much of the plate, tossing 65 of 88 pitches for strikes and hanging a belt-high sweeper in the fifth that Max Clark drove into the right-field seats for a two-run blast. Seymour has gone three straight outings without a win, serving up six homers in 16.2 innings en route to a 4.86 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 22:2 K:BB over that stretch. The southpaw will look to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Mets. |
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Taylor Walls Taylor Walls Getting breather Wednesday
Wed, Aug 26, 2026, 9:44 AM
Walls is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Detroit.
Analysis: Walls will rest during Wednesday's matinee after starting the previous five games. Jorge Mateo will start at shortstop and will bat eighth for the Rays. |
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Ian Seymour Ian Seymour Pitching in bulk relief Tuesday
Tue, Aug 25, 2026, 5:07 PM
Seymour will work in bulk relief behind opener Casey Legumina in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: Legumina will likely work the first inning or two before giving way to Seymour. The left-hander had been deployed as a traditional starter in his last four appearances, going 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 33:4 K:BB in 23 innings during that span. |
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Casey Legumina Casey Legumina Set to open Tuesday's game
Tue, Aug 25, 2026, 5:01 PM
Legumina will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: Legumina will draw his sixth start of the season, but he's expected to be limited to an inning or two before giving way to left-hander Ian Seymour, who is set to pitch in bulk relief. Since the All-Star break, Legumina has made 13 appearances and has submitted a 4.24 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB across 17 innings. |
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Bryan Baker Bryan Baker Tallies MLB-leading 38th save
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 8:32 PM
Baker secured the save Monday against Detroit, allowing one hit and no walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.
Analysis: Baker also hit a batter, allowing the possible tying run to get to the plate, but he caught Spencer Torkelson looking for the game's final out. The All-Star right-hander still hasn't blown a save since May 13 in Toronto. Through 52 innings, Baker sports a 1.56 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 58:16 K:BB with an MLB-leading 38 saves in 41 opportunities. |
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Drew Rasmussen Drew Rasmussen Six strong innings in 14th win
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 8:24 PM
Rasmussen (14-5) earned the win against the Tigers on Monday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out five.
Analysis: Rasmussen emptied the tank Monday, throwing a career-high 103 pitches and retiring each of the final eight batters he faced. The All-Star right-hander has been pretty steady on the hill as of late, tossing at least five innings while yielding two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts. Rasmussen will look to keep the good times going in his next scheduled outing versus the Mets, boasting a 2.95 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 143:25 K:BB over 140.1 innings this season. |
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Victor Mesa Jr. Victor Mesa Jr. Scheduled for rehab assignment
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 4:37 PM
Mesa (hamstring) will embark on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: Mesa landed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 19 after aggravating a left hamstring injury. Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Monday that Mesa will play "a couple of games" in Durham, and if all goes well, the 24-year-old outfielder could be back with the parent club when eligible to come off the IL on Saturday. |
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Cedric Mullins Cedric Mullins On bench against southpaw
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 3:20 PM
Mullins is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: The Rays will keep Mullins on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Liam Hicks and Richie Palacios while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Jonny DeLuca will spell Mullins in center field and will bat cleanup. |
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Richie Palacios Richie Palacios Taking seat versus lefty
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 3:19 PM
Palacios is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: The Rays will keep Palacios on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Liam Hicks and Cedric Mullins while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Jorge Mateo will fill in for Palacios at second base and will bat sixth. |
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Liam Hicks Liam Hicks Idle against lefty
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 3:18 PM
Hicks is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: The Rays will keep Hicks on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Richie Palacios and Cedric Mullins while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Nick Fortes will spell Hicks behind the plate and will bat seventh. |
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Nick Fortes Nick Fortes Filling in for resting Hicks
Mon, Aug 24, 2026, 3:16 PM
Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: With lefty Framber Valdez on the hill for the Tigers, the Rays will send the left-handed-hitting Liam Hicks to the bench to open up a start for Fortes behind the plate. So long as Hicks is healthy, Fortes is likely to see the bulk of his playing time versus lefties, against whom he's slashing .254/.321/.339 across 133 plate appearances on the season. |
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Griffin Jax Griffin Jax Throws 42 pitches in rehab start
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 10:13 PM
Jax (elbow) struck out two in a rehab start for Triple-A Durham on Sunday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks in three innings.
Analysis: Jax built himself up to 42 pitches Sunday, taking one step closer to rejoining Tampa Bay's rotation. The right-hander is recovering from right elbow discomfort, and it's possible his next appearance will come in the major leagues. It remains to be seen if the Rays will shift Ian Seymour back to the bullpen upon Jax's return or if they'll instead turn to a six-man rotation. |
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Headed to Triple-A
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 9:23 PM
Bodine was promoted to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Chase Ford of MiLB Central reports.
Analysis: Bodine produced a .316 average with five home runs, 33 RBI, 25 runs scored and four stolen bases over 37 games with Double-A Montgomery. The 22-year-old is now just one step away from making his major-league debut, and he may be on track to do so in 2027. |
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Bryan Baker Bryan Baker Up to 37 saves
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 3:52 PM
Baker earned the save in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Orioles, allowing a run on one hit in the ninth inning.
Analysis: Colton Cowser led off the ninth with a homer off Baker, just the second run he's allowed in his last 19.2 innings, but the right-hander would rebound to retire the next three Orioles and notch his league-leading 37th save this season. Baker's ERA sits at 1.59 across 51 innings with a 0.88 WHIP and 56:16 K:BB. |
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Nick Martinez Nick Martinez Rebounds to blank Baltimore
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 3:47 PM
Martinez (13-4) earned the win Sunday over the Orioles, allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings. He struck out four.
Analysis: After giving up a season-high six runs across just 3.2 innings against Toronto his last time out, Martinez bounced back with an excellent performance against the Orioles, allowing just one hit en route to his 13th win. The 36-year-old Martinez lowered his ERA to 2.93 across 25 starts (147.2 innings) this season with a 1.10 WHIP and 87:22 K:BB. He's currently slated to face the Padres at home in his next outing. |
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Chris Roycroft Chris Roycroft Loses roster spot
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 10:32 AM
The Rays designated Roycroft for assignment Sunday.
Analysis: Roycroft will give up his spot on the 40-man roster to Manuel Rodriguez (elbow), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. After being acquired from the Cardinals on June 23, Roycroft turned in a 6.52 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings during three stints in the big leagues with the Rays. |
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Manuel Rodriguez Manuel Rodriguez Ready for 2026 debut with Tampa
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 10:25 AM
The Rays reinstated Rodriguez (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Sunday.
Analysis: Tampa Bay cleared room on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for Rodriguez by designating right-hander Chris Roycroft for assignment. Rodriguez served as a high-leverage relief arm for the Rays to begin the 2025 campaign and compiled a 2.08 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while collecting 11 holds over 30.1 innings, but his season came to an early end when he required right flexor tendon repair surgery on Aug. 8. Now just over a year removed from the procedure, Rodriguez has been cleared to rejoin the Tampa Bay bullpen after he completed a month-long rehab assignment during which he submitted a 5.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB in eight innings over stops with three different minor-league affiliates. He'll likely be deployed in the middle innings initially, but Rodriguez could quickly work his way up the bullpen pecking order if he looks sharp in his first few appearances with Tampa Bay. |
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Jonny DeLuca Jonny DeLuca Seeing more opportunities versus righties
Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 10:15 AM
DeLuca will start in right field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Analysis: He'll stick in the lineup for a fourth straight game after going 3-for-11 with a double in the prior three contests. With three of DeLuca's four starts coming against right-handed pitching, he looks to have emerged as the Rays' preferred option in right field after Victor Mesa (hamstring) was placed on the injured list Wednesday. |
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