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Ian Seymour Ian Seymour Serving as opener Friday
Fri, May 15, 2026, 2:26 PM
Seymour will start as the opener Friday against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: It will be Seymour's first official start of the season, but Jesse Scholtens is still expected to serve as the bulk reliever behind Seymour, according to Topkin. Seymour came up as a starting pitcher but has topped out at just 32 pitches in a single game as a full-time reliever through the first month-and-a-half of the 2026 season. |
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Aaron Brooks Aaron Brooks Designated for assignment
Fri, May 15, 2026, 11:27 AM
The Rays designated Brooks for assignment Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: Brooks' contract was selected from Triple-A Durham last weekend, but he was shelled for four runs (three earned) on one hit and a pair of walks in one-third of an inning in his lone appearance out of the Tampa Bay bullpen. It was the 36-year-old's first big-league outing since June of 2024 with the Athletics. Brooks has now been booted from the 40-man roster. |
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Trevor Martin Trevor Martin Back from Triple-A
Fri, May 15, 2026, 11:24 AM
The Rays recalled Martin from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis: In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay designated Aaron Brooks for assignment. Martin made his major-league debut earlier this season with the Rays, appearing in three games out of the bullpen, and turned in a 6.23 ERA and 4:1 K:BB across 4.1 innings. He's logged a 2.40 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB over 15 innings at Durham. |
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Griffin Jax Griffin Jax Goes five innings in second start
Wed, May 13, 2026, 10:39 PM
Jax did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing four hits and four walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out one.
Analysis: In two outings since moving into Tampa Bay's rotation, Jax has allowed just two earned runs across nine innings. While he managed to make it through five innings Wednesday, Jax was ultimately stuck with a no-decision as the Rays would fall to Toronto in 10 innings. Overall, Jax sports a 3.91 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP and 18:14 K:BB across 23 innings this year. Assuming he remains in the rotation, Jax would line up for a home matchup with the Orioles in his next outing. |
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Nick Fortes Nick Fortes Receiving break Wednesday
Wed, May 13, 2026, 3:49 PM
Fortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: Fortes will get a break from playing on the synthetic turf in Toronto after going 1-for-4 while catching nine of 10 innings in Tuesday's 7-6 win. Hunter Feduccia will replace Fortes behind the dish in the series finale. |
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Chandler Simpson Chandler Simpson Back in starting nine Wednesday
Wed, May 13, 2026, 3:46 PM
Simpson (leg) will start in left field and bat leadoff Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: The Rays held Simpson out for Tuesday's 7-6 win so that he could receive more time to recover from left leg cramps, which cropped up during Monday's series opener. The day off appears to have helped resolve the issue, as Simpson will step back into his usual spot in the outfield and batting order. Tampa Bay is hopeful that the missed start won't disrupt Simpson's rhythm at the plate; since the start of May, Simpson has hit .316 with three stolen bases, eight runs and six RBI in 10 games. |
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Ryan Vilade Ryan Vilade Homer, double in win Tuesday
Tue, May 12, 2026, 11:25 PM
Vilade went 2-for-4 with a double, solo homer and one walk in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Blue Jays.
Analysis: With lefty Patrick Corbin making the start for Toronto, Vilade hit cleanup and made the start in left field. Vilade doubled off Corbin in the fifth before taking struggling reliever Jeff Hoffman deep in the seventh. It was Vilade's first multi-hit game of May after he recorded just three hits in 21 at-bats this month entering Tuesday. Vilade is 13-for-42 (.310) against left-handed pitching this season and is slashing .281/.339/.439 with two homers, 10 RBI, six runs scored, one stolen base and a 5:12 BB:K across 63 trips to the plate in total during the 2026 campaign. |
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Garrett Cleavinger Garrett Cleavinger Picks up save over Toronto
Tue, May 12, 2026, 11:16 PM
Cleavinger earned the save in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on one walk in the 10th inning.
Analysis: With Bryan Baker seemingly unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, Cleavinger got the nod in the bottom of the 10th after the Rays plated a pair in the top half of the inning. It was Cleavinger's first save of the season to go along with a 1-1 record and six holds. He owns a 4.05 ERA and 9:5 K:BB across 6.2 innings. |
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Shane McClanahan Shane McClanahan Sharp over five shutout innings
Tue, May 12, 2026, 11:10 PM
McClanahan didn't factor into decision Tuesday against the Blue Jays, allowing just one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts across five shutout innings.
Analysis: McClanahan exited with a 4-0 lead, but the Tampa Bay bullpen imploded in the seventh inning, allowing five runs on four hits, one walk and an error. McClanahan hasn't allowed a run in any of his last four starts and has blanked the Blue Jays across 10.2 innings in back-to-back outings. The left-hander's off-speed and breaking stuff has been well above-average this season, and he now owns a 2.27 ERA and 41:15 K:BB across 39.2 innings. McClanahan is lined up to face the Orioles at home next week. |
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Chandler Simpson Chandler Simpson Held out of Tuesday's lineup
Tue, May 12, 2026, 4:31 PM
Simpson (leg) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Analysis: Simpson exited Monday's series opener due to left leg cramps, and he'll sit out at least one game due to the injury. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the 25-year-old indicated he could be available off the bench Tuesday, though the Rays are more likely to play it safe and give him the full day off. |
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Gavin Lux Gavin Lux Shut down after setback
Tue, May 12, 2026, 4:16 PM
The Rays pulled Lux (shoulder/ankle) off his rehab assignment Tuesday due to a left shoulder injury, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Analysis: Lux initially landed on the injured list at the beginning of the season due to a right shoulder impingement, and he's already had his rehab paused once due to an ankle injury. Now dealing with an injury in his other shoulder, the Rays will shut him down for the foreseeable future and send him in for imaging later in the week. Richie Palacios and Ben Williamson will continue to receive starts at the keystone while Lux is out. |
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Jonathan Aranda Jonathan Aranda Racks up three RBI in victory
Tue, May 12, 2026, 2:34 AM
Aranda went 2-for-3 with a home run, two total runs and three total RBI in an 8-5 win over Toronto on Monday.
Analysis: Aranda got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, added a run-scoring single in the second and swatted a solo homer in the fifth. The 27-year-old had gone 11 games without a long ball coming into Monday, but he's otherwise been hot at the plate, slashing .469/.526/.594 with seven RBI through 10 games in May. Aranda has eight homers through 40 contests on the campaign, putting him well on pace to surpass the career-high 14 long balls he hit across 106 regular-season games in 2025. |
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Bryan Baker Bryan Baker Tallies another save
Tue, May 12, 2026, 2:23 AM
Baker earned a save against the Blue Jays on Monday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.
Analysis: Baker entered with a three-run lead in the ninth frame and didn't facilitate any drama, retiring the side in order on 11 pitches (nine strikes). Since giving up a run and blowing a save against the Pirates on April 18, the right-hander has racked up nine straight scoreless appearances spanning 8.1 innings, posting a 10:1 K:BB and notching seven saves in that span. Baker is tied for second in MLB with 11 total saves on the campaign and seems to have a very firm grasp on the Rays' closer role. |
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Drew Rasmussen Drew Rasmussen Continues strong campaign
Tue, May 12, 2026, 2:18 AM
Rasmussen (3-1) earned the win over Toronto on Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.
Analysis: Rasmussen got an early boost from his offense, which quickly gave him a 5-0 lead. The right-hander served up a three-run homer to Andres Gimenez in the bottom of the second inning to allow Toronto to climb back into the contest, but that ended up being the final time the Blue Jays scored while Rasmussen was on the mound. The veteran hurler finished with his second straight quality start and third over his past four outings. Rasmussen has given up three or fewer runs in all but one of his eight starts, and he holds a strong 3.16 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 43:7 K:BB over 42.2 innings on the season. |
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Activated from MiLB IL
Mon, May 11, 2026, 10:43 PM
Johnson (back) was activated from the 7-day injured list May 5.
Analysis: Johnson made his Triple-A Durham debut Thursday after putting a lower-back strain behind him, and while he didn't work deep into the outing, he had his swing-and-miss stuff working. He allowed three hits and walked one while striking out five over 3.1 scoreless frames. |
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Chandler Simpson Chandler Simpson Exits early Monday
Mon, May 11, 2026, 9:39 PM
Simpson was removed from Monday's game against the Blue Jays due to an apparent leg cramp, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two stolen bases prior to exiting.
Analysis: Simpson grounded out to second base in the top of the eighth inning and was replaced in the bottom of the frame by Jonny DeLuca. This doesn't appear to be a serious injury for Simpson, who was unlikely to start Tuesday against a southpaw, but it'll be worth keeping a close eye on his availability over the next day or so. |
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Ryan Vilade Ryan Vilade Hitting bench with righty on mound
Mon, May 11, 2026, 3:12 PM
Vilade is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
Analysis: Vilade will retreat to the bench after he had started in each of the last four games, going a collective 2-for-11 with one walk. All of those starts came versus left-handed pitching, but the Rays have yet to show much inclination to give Vilade a full run of playing time against righties. |
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Ben Williamson Ben Williamson Sitting after six straight starts
Mon, May 11, 2026, 3:10 PM
Williamson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
Analysis: Williamson will retreat to the bench after he had started in each of the Rays' last six games. Five of those starts came against left-handed pitching, so despite his recent uptick in playing time, Williamson still appears to be viewed primarily as a platoon partner for the left-handed-hitting Richie Palacios at second base. |
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Nick Fortes Nick Fortes Taking seat Monday
Mon, May 11, 2026, 3:07 PM
Fortes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
Analysis: The Rays will give Fortes a breather after he started behind the plate in each of their last four games. Hunter Feduccia will enter the lineup as Fortes' replacement, catching and batting eighth in the series opener. |
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Justyn-Henry Malloy Justyn-Henry Malloy Stays in organization
Mon, May 11, 2026, 1:57 PM
The Rays outrighted Malloy to Triple-A Durham on Monday.
Analysis: Malloy passed through waivers unclaimed after being booted off the 40-man roster, and he will stick around in the organization as depth in the corner infield and outfield slots. The 26-year-old sports just a .128/.273/.266 over 132 plate appearances with Durham this season. |
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