The Tampa Bay Rays head to the Bronx with a six-game AL East lead and a chance to clinch the division against the New York Yankees. With Aaron Judge injured and Ben Williamson returning, Kevin Cash faces key postseason roster and pitching decisions as Tampa Bay pursues its first World Series title.
The Tampa Bay Rays are doing everything they need to do to prepare themselves for a deep postseason run in 2026 and give themselves the best chance at finding their first-ever World Series title.
After picking up the series win against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, the team prepares to travel to the Bronx for four games in three days against the New York Yankees. Tampa Bay currently holds a six-game lead over the Yankees for the AL East division title, and with one victory in the series, the team will clinch the division as well as the top seed in the American League playoffs.
What was seen as one of the most difficult schedules in all of baseball for September, the Rays capitalized in a big way and showed why they should be seen and feared as a World Series-caliber contender.
And with a doubleheader on Tuesday against the New York Yankees, that news could be crowned fairly quickly.
Especially since the New York Yankees are once again not at full strength
Earlier this week, the Yankees once again placed Aaron Judge on the injured list, basically ending his regular season to prepare him for the playoffs. Some have seen this move as a way to concede the division title, but I don't see it that way, since the Rays have held the AL East lead for almost the entire year.
Regardless, without Judge, the Yankees are missing a key piece of their offense, and although they have already clinched a postseason spot, they'll likely stumble into the AL Wild Card series.
On the flip side, the Tampa Bay Rays bring back a player from their opening-day roster with Ben Williamson activated from the injured list on Sunday. The Rays' second baseman went 0-for-3 in his return against the Boston Red Sox, but the added depth is obviously the bigger strength for Kevin Cash, as he will have more options in choosing his postseason roster.
Cash will obviously face difficult decisions once the regular season ends, as players such as Victor Mesa Jr., among others, have fought not only to make the postseason roster but to force their way into the starting lineup.
With only seven games remaining, the Rays could quickly clinch the division and then completely focus on answering some much-needed questions before the playoffs arrive.
The team will likely need to reset their rotation, with four pitchers currently seen as reliable enough to get starts in the playoffs. As well as decide what to do with Ian Seymour and potentially Shane McClanahan, if he's healthy enough to return from injury.
Those decisions will likely have some sort of Bullpen role tied to them. Therefore, choosing the right pitchers for proper leverage situations will also need to be decided.
On Sunday, the team also tied for fifth most in franchise history with 95 wins and has an opportunity to break the organization record. With seven games remaining, the team could surpass the 2021 season, when the team went 162, another milestone a team on a mission could shoot for.
