The Rays have had an excellent first six weeks. Last night’s series win over the Blue Jays was their fourth in a row and 10th in their last 11. They achieved a record of 22-12 which placed them behind only the Yankees in the American League.
Tampa Bay’s rotation played a big role in their success. The Rays starters have a 3.16 earned run average which ranks third in MLB behind the Yankees and Dodgers rotations. Each of the Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan and season signings Nick Martinez again Steven Matz it has been good to very good.
The Rays should have it Ryan Pepiot to complete their first five. Instead, he will be sidelined for the rest of the season with a hip injury that required surgery. That leaves the fifth spot up for grabs, and the Rays develop a pair of relievers as rotation starters.
Griffin Jax opened his last two games. They weren’t true “starters,” as they were pulled by the draft in the third inning each. Jax, who told Adam Berry of MLB.com in late April that he and the team were discussing a possible trade, made 45 pitches in 2 2/3 frames Saturday against the Giants. It was his highest pitch count in an appearance since 2022. In each of the past two outings, Jax has singled out left-handed hitters. He had considered that field at the end of the 2025 season but had not used it this year until construction began.
It’s not an unusual role at all. Jax was a starter throughout his minor league career and made 14 of 18 appearances as a starter for the Twins in 2021. He struggled to a 6.37 ERA that season and moved full time to the bullpen in year two. Jax’s strikeout and groundball rates have increased dramatically in a short amount of time. He emerged as an elite reliever who the Twins threw to Tampa Bay for a chance to play in the leadoff spot. Hello Bradley Last summer.
Jax isn’t the only Rays pitcher slated for a starting role. Mason Englertwho came out of the bullpen in all but three of his 81 MLB appearances, did the same (link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Englert is currently on the 15-day disabled list after experiencing minor arm pain in mid-April. The Rays sent him to Triple-A Durham on a rehab assignment this week and will use that time to establish him as a starter.
The Rays acquired Englert from the Tigers in the 2024-25 offseason. He hasn’t started often since he was in Double-A. That’s because of his Rule 5 option status, as the Tigers needed to keep him on the MLB roster for his entire rookie season (2023) to protect his long-term rights. Englert had never pitched above A ball at that point, and it’s easier for teams to protect Rule 5 picks as low-level bullpen arms than to continue developing them as starters at the MLB level.
Englert has mediocre career numbers but is coming off a solid year in which he threw 44 2/3 innings of 3.83 ERA ball with slightly better strikeout and walk rates. He’s got a five-track mix decked out with transitions to throw at any other drummer. Englert had a neutral team split last season. He has very little experience changing the lineup many times, but he has a deep enough arsenal that he should be able to compete with lefties.
Pitchers can spend up to 30 days in rehab. Englert also has a minor league option if the Rays want to continue building him to Triple-A beyond that. He started the position earlier this year and threw 65 pitches, though, so it may be a few leagues before the Rays feel comfortable letting him throw at least 80-90 pitches in an MLB game.
None of this means that Jax or Englert are guaranteed to hold rotation roles. The Rays have long valued the flexibility of their pitching staff. They can use pitchers as starters and/or tandem starters or decide they are a better fit as 2-3 inning arms out of the bullpen. Jesse Scholtens again Joe Boyle (rehabilitating from an elbow strain) has had a lot of first-time experience at the MLB level. Tampa Bay has had some success with mid-career relievers in the first go, however. Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs again Zack Littell they were all middle-class pitchers who had been successful starters in previous seasons.
