Tampa Bay Rays desperate times call for desperate measures
The Tampa Bay Rays have seen their pitching depth take a major hit over the past couple of weeks. With that in mind, the Rays have a potential solution.
Earlier in Spring Training, the Tampa Bay Rays made waves when they stated their intention to use a four man rotation to start the year. It flew in the face of what pitching rotations have become, and the intentions of other teams to experiment with a six man rotation of their own. However, given the plethora of off days that the Rays have at the start of the season, this idea made sense.
That experiment may last longer than expected. Should the four man rotation fare well over the first month and a half of the season, then the Rays could stick with the plan for the entire season. In those situations when a fifth starter would be needed, Tampa Bay would simply have a bullpen game.
#Rays plan is to use 4 starters and when they play 5 in a row to use relievers to cover that 5th day, not to have starters pitch on short rest, How it plays out early in off-day heavy April-May will be key determiner
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 7, 2018
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
This plan seemingly makes more sense given the injuries the Rays have suffered to their pitching depth. It was expected that Brent Honeywell would, at some point this season, but he underwent Tommy John surgery and is likely out of the picture until the middle of 2019. Jose De Leon is set to join Honeywell, as he tore his UCL on Wednesday. The Rays once vaunted young depth has taken a tremendous hit.
For now, the Rays are planning on having that fifth game as a bullpen outing. With Matt Andriese, Chih-Wei Hu, and Austin Pruitt, amongst others, as potential options, such a strategy could work. At the very least, it will be fascinating to watch over the first few weeks of the season.
Likewise, this plan could come to an end depending on how well the remaining young depth performs. Should Anthony Banda perform well in AAA and force his way into the picture, the Rays could end up going back to a more traditional five man rotation. scrapping the experiment. And, the Rays rotation is far from proven, with Blake Snell and Jake Faria still looking to establish themselves, and Nathan Eovaldi coming back from his own Tommy John surgery.
Next: Eovaldi looking to defy the odds
The Tampa Bay Rays pitching depth has been decimated by injury. Desperate times call for desperate measures, which could result in a four man rotation for much of the year.