The Rays announced that they have signed the right-hander Michael Grove in the big leagues and placed him on the 15-day injured list. He is still recovering from last year’s shoulder surgery. To open up a 40-man spot for him, right-handed Ryan Pepiot transferred to IL for 60 days. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported the moves ahead of the official announcement.
It’s unclear what’s going on with Pepiot but this seems to represent at least a small setback. He started the season on the IL for 15 days due to inflammation in his right hip. As of April 4, he was throwing bullpen sessions and reinstatement was currently expected. This move to the 60-day injured list means he won’t be out of IL until the end of May.
With Pepiot out, Tampa’s rotation has consolidated Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Steven Matz, Nick Martinez again Joe Boyle. They lost Boyle to the injured list a few days ago due to a strained right elbow. Jesse Scholtens he is returned and will take the ball tomorrow. Whether it sticks or is just the beginning remains to be seen. Radiation also has it Joe Rock in the work you can choose while Yoendrys Gómez pitching more innings in the big league bullpen. Hope Brody Hopkins is in Triple-A but has walked 20.3% of the batters he has faced this year.
Bringing Pepiot back into that mix would help but it doesn’t look like that’s happening any time soon. More information on his status may be revealed soon but the Rays will have to go without him for at least another six weeks or so.
One benefit of Pepiot being delayed is that he successfully opened up a 40-man roster spot, which the Rays used to recruit Grove. As mentioned, he is recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent in March last year.
A second-round pick from 2018, Grove has had impressive results in the minors and seniors, injury-wise. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 100 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.40 earned run average. His 29.4% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate were both strong stats.
He also threw 149 1/3 major league innings in that span. A 5.48 ERA in the big leagues doesn’t look good but it’s even more encouraging when you look under the hood. His 23.2% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 41.3% ground balls were respectable numbers. His .325 batting average on balls in play and 63.9% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side. His 4.35 FIP and 3.85 SIERA felt like he would have fared better if his luck had been neutral.
Grove spent 2025 on the injured list and skipped three years of major league service time. He was eligible for compensation in 2026 but wouldn’t have gotten much benefit after missing a full season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz priced him at $800K, just above this year’s low of $780K. The Dodgers signed him off the roster at the end of the season, non-tendered.
For the Rays, Grove is a wild card after a long absence due to that surgery. If he is healthy, his service time is three years and 31 days. So he is in control for this season and at least two more. You also have an option left. That means the Rays can shut him down between Triple-A and the majors. If he has spent a significant amount of time on voluntary assignment, he may not reach four years of service this year, which could delay his path to free will.
That would be a secondary concern. Before that becomes something to consider, he’ll need to get his shoulder on the mend and start posting good results. His current recovery time is unclear.
Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images
