Tampa Bay Rays: What is the Plan B now?
By David Hill
After the devastating news that top prospect Brent Honeywell is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery, the Tampa Bay Rays need to find another backup plan for their rotation.
As the Tampa Bay Rays headed into the 2018 campaign, their starting rotation was pretty much set. Chris Archer was to head the staff, followed by youngsters Blake Snell and Jake Faria. Nathan Eovaldi would round out the rotation until the middle of May, when Matt Andriese would step into the fifth starter spot.
At least, that was the plan. It was also expected that, at some point in time, the Rays would bring up top prospect Brent Honeywell, slotting him into the rotation. He would either force his way to the majors with his performance, or be the Rays Plan B should one of the starters struggle. However, with Honeywell staring down the barrel of needing Tommy John surgery, those plans have changed.
Now, the Rays need to re-evaluate. Their potential ace in the hole is likely to be sidelined until sometime in 2019, and may not make his debut until later that year. So what happens now if their rotation begins to struggle? What is the Plan B for the Rays?
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Right now, the next man up may be Jose De Leon. He has impressed in the early going, having put a lot of effort into his conditioning in the offseason. Manager Kevin Cash said that he looks like a different pitcher, but is coming off of an injury plagued 2017 campaign. He has also struggled during his brief time in the majors, with a 6.86 ERA and a 1.678 WHiP, despite a 3-0 record.
After De Leon, the Rays have the recently acquired Anthony Banda. Another top prospect, he also struggled in the majors in his brief stint, with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.403 WHiP in 25.2 innings. However, he struck out 25 batters in that time, showing some of his promise. Prospects Ryan Yarbrough and Yonny Chirinos could be options as well, but have yet to make their major league debuts.
At this point, it may not be a surprise to see the Rays find a veteran pitcher looking to bounce back after a poor season. A pitcher like Clay Buchholz or a reunion with Matt Garza could help solidify the Rays rotation, while serving as a potential trade piece if they can return to form. And, if the Rays sign a pitcher of a similar caliber pitcher later in Spring Training, they could stash him in the minors for a period of time to get him into game shape.
Next: Rays updated top ten prospects
The Tampa Bay Rays thought they had Plan B with Brent Honeywell. After his injury, they need to find a new option.