The 2025 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Just typical of how things have gone with Fairbanks giving up a pair of solo homers to lose a 1-0 lead in the 9th, condemning the Rays to their 11th loss in 12 games.

Transaction: We claimed veteran reliever Lucas Erceg on waivers from Milwaukee and to make room we designated Ryan Pepiot for assignment, a move that would have seemed shocking not long ago but Pepiot has been perhaps the worst pitcher in MLB this season with an ERA just under 10. My guess is that he clears.

Game 2:



A win! And Fairbanks held on this time.

Game 3:



Two wins in a row! First time the team has done that since June 7-8.

Game 4:



After a miracle 5-run comeback in the 9th to tie, the Rays of course lose in the 10th and end up with a split. Pepiot cleared waivers and was assigned to Durham.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:



Hold the fire sale? The Rays swept the Jays, winning their first series since taking 2 of 3 in San Diego three weeks ago. Trade candidates Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe had big weekends with Lowe homering twice on Sunday. Things probably won't change but this crew has bought itself a little more time and they're 3 1/2 out of the final wild card. Next up is a trip to Wrigley for 3 against the Cubs so we'll see if they can win on the road against a 49-29 Chicago squad.



Players of the Week:

AL: Bobby Witt Jr (KC), 13-27, 3 HR, 5 RBI
NL: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHI), 13-25, 0 HR, 5 RBI

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



This game marked the end of Yandy Diaz's stint in Tampa Bay, where he had been a fixture since 2019 as we made the following deal:



Despite being below us in the standings, the Jays made us the best offer for Yandy, sending us the versatile Schneider, who is out for the next few weeks with a sprained elbow. When he joins the club he'll gives us someone who can play the OF as well as 2B/3B, making him the quintessential Ray. More importantly for now, the trade of Diaz opens up the DH spot for slugging prospect Xavier Isaac, who was hitting 276/389/650 with 28 HR in 246 AB and might even be an improvement on Yandy, who wasn't having his best season. He'll primarily play against right-handed pitching.

Game 2:



Well we won the game and Isaac came off the bench to single in his first MLB at-bat before drawing a couple of intentional walks as the Cubs showed the fear of his power. Unfortunately though we lost our closer (or our trade bait closer) Fairbanks to a hamstring injury severe enough to shelve him for 3 months, or essentially the remainder of the regular season.

To that end, we put him on the 60-day IL and recalled veteran RP Kevin Kelly from Durham. Cleavinger and Stewart will likely be the co-closers going forward.

Game 3:



Sweeping the up-and-down Jays at home was one thing but sweeping a Cubs team which was 49-29 coming in at Wrigley is another and suddenly the Rays have won six straight, moved back to .500, and most importantly are now only 1 1/2 games out of the third wild card (albeit a tie between the Angels and Boston so they're fifth overall). Along with the exciting callup of Isaac, who came through off the bench for the second time in as many nights, this time drilling his first MLB homer which was a 426-foot shot to center in the 9th, there's suddenly room for optimism. We dealt off Yandy but in classic Rays sell and buy tradition we're hanging onto the red-hot B.Lowe for now and will see where July takes us.

Next up after a day off is a return home for 3 big games against that Angels team we're chasing for a wildcard.

Players of the Month (June):

AL Batter: Kyle Tucker (BAL), .362-7-19
NL Batter: Michael Harris II (ATL), .423-6-15
AL Pitcher: Mason Miller (ATH), 4-0, 2.02, 6 SV, 22 K in 13.1 IP
NL Pitcher: Joe Musgrove (SD), 4-0, 2.03, 27 K in 31 IP
AL Rookie: Spencer Giesting (SEA), 3-2, 2.59, 19 K in 31.1 IP
NL Rookie: Reid Schaller (CHI), 3-0, 0.00, 6.2 IP

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:



The Rays' incredible in-season turnaround continued as they swept their third straight series and made it 9 consecutive wins after breaking out the lumber to sweep the Angels. Tampa Bay scored 27 runs in the sweep on 11 homers, and I've never been so glad to not have completed the fire sale. And there are reinforcements on the way, the first one via trade:



After unfortunately trading him to Minnesota while a pitching prospect, Joe Ryan returns to the Rays to solidify the rotation. He's been one of the AL's most consistent pitchers over the last few seasons and although his 2026 ERA in 4.35, that's mainly due to a high BABIP as he's on pace for 3.1 WAR. He'll take over for Mason Englert, who has struggled to say the least. The price wasn't bad either as Monzon is a mid-level prospect.

And more pitching help is on the way sooner than expected as ace Shane McClanahan will now be returning three weeks sooner than expected as he'll be ready to pitch around the 1st of August. With a couple of rehab starts he should be ready to rejoin the rotation down the stretch as we push for a wild card (barring another bad run like the one which preceded this win streak).

We've now pulled to within 1/2 game of the third wild card behind both Boston and Cleveland, although we've got a tough week ahead with 4 games in Yankee Stadium and 3 more in Philly.



Players of the Week:

AL: Gunnar Henderson (BAL), 14-23, 1 HR, 4 RBI
NL: Bryce Harper (PHI), 12-27, 3 HR, 8 RBI