Injuries have shaken up the Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation, forcing on-the-fly adjustments for opening week. Workhorse Ryan Pepiot is starting the season on the injured list and Nick Martinez is being pushed back a few days. It's not how the Rays wanted to come out of the gate.
The American League East is loaded this season after an aggressive offseason — in both directions — for all five teams. But when you look at preseason prognostications across the country, one thing stands out.
Nearly everyone is picking the Tampa Bay Rays to finish dead last. The fifth of five.
In the past couple of decades or so, you needed to tread cautiously when picking against the Rays. They've won two American League pennants (2008, 2020) as underdogs and have made the playoffs nine times since 2008.
They've won the AL East four times — and never as a favorite — and won 100 games in 2021. They had 99 in 2023, but have missed out on the playoffs the past two years.
They've got their work cut out for them this year with a lineup that might not hit enough from top to bottom. But the Rays have always relied on quality pitching, and that's no different this year.
But Tampa Bay has been thrown a curveball right out of the gate. They're dealing with injuries in their starting rotation, and it's forced some adjustments heading into the season.
None of it is bad, season-threatening, news but it has forced Rays manager Kevin Cash to adjust on the fly. Right-hander Ryan Pepiot has a hip injury that's forced him to the injured list, and veteran newcomer Nick Martinez is dealing with a mild hamstring issue that's pushed his first start back a few days.
“Very short, I think, is our thought,” Cash said Tuesday on Pepiot's trip to the IL. “(It’s) something that he was managing throughout the course of spring training, but couldn’t quite get it right where he wanted.
“We expect him to be back very, very soon, because he’s built up.''
Pepiot is a workhorse, and he threw a team-high 167 2/3 innings a year ago while making all 31 starts. He seemed ready to go before the hip injury, throwing 76 pitches over five innings during a March 17 spring start against the New York Yankees. He allowed just one run on four hits, and he has an 0.90 earned run average this spring.
He will be eligible to come off the injured list on April 6, the date of the Rays' home opener at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Joe Boyle, who got a taste of big-league baseball last year with the Rays, will take Pepiot's spot in the rotation for now. He was sent down to Triple-A Durham last week, but was recalled a day later after the Pepiot news. He'll get the Game 2 start in St. Louis, with Martinez being pushed back to Monday in Milwaukee.
Here's what the first trip through the rotation looks like now, as of Thursday morning:
Thursday (March 26): Tampa Bay Rays (Drew Rasmussen) at St. Louis Cardinals (Matthew Liberatore), 4:15 p.m. ET.
Friday (March 27): Off day.
Saturday (March 28): Tampa Bay Rays (Joe Boyle) at St. Louis Cardinals (Michael McGreevy), 2:15 p.m. ET.
Sunday (March 29): Tampa Bay Rays (Steven Matz) at St. Louis Cardinals (Dustin May), 2:15 p.m. ET.
Monday (March 30): Tampa Bay Rays (Nick Martinez) at Milwaukee Brewers (Kyle Harrison), 7:40 p.m. ET.
Tuesday (March 31): Tampa Bay Rays (Shane McClanahan) at Milwaukee Brewers (Brandon Woodruff), 7:40 p.m. ET.
The 35-year-old Martinez signed to a one-year, $13 million deal with Tampa Bay after spending the past two seasons in Cincinnati. He's been knocked around a bit this spring, posting a 14.49 ERA over four starts. Much of those gawdy numbers came on Sunday, when he allowed 11 runs on 12 hits — including three home runs — but got all of his work in and said there are no long-term physical issues.
“He’s totally fine,” Cash said. “He was pitching with (the mild hamstring issue on Sunday) in Dunedin. It has no effect on his delivery or anything, or pitch usage, anything like that. It’s more just monitoring the workload and two more days of treatment should help him.”
The Rays are starting the season with a long road trip because MLB wanted to make sure there was enough time to get all of the repairs done at Tropicana Field, which was damaged by Hurricane Milton near the end of the 2024 season.
Tampa Bay plays in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Minnesota. the first nine games, and then will open at home on April 6 with three games against the Chicago Cubs, following with a series with the New York Yankees.