Rays 5/20/23 pregame notes

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0, in front of plus 19,000 fans. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

After defeating the Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0, on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays will go for the series win this afternoon at the Trop.

At 33-13 on the season, the Rays enter play 20 games over .500, 3.5 games ahead of the second-place Orioles.

Shane McClanahan played the role of the stopper in his longest outing of the season, allowing no runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven. He did so with his second-lowest pitch count (83 pitches, 60 strikes, 72% strike rate) of his campaign, and worked just one inning longer than 15 pitches (only two frames required more than 11 pitches). It was a bounce-back outing for the left-hander, who walked a career-high-tying four batters in each of his past two turns on the mound. So, how did McClanahan fix things to become more effective and efficient? A tweak in his mechanics — in his words, staying behind his pitches, and spinning them rather than muscling them into the strike zone — and filling up the zone. McClanahan was able to lower both his ERA and FIP to 2.05 and 3.60 (respectively) with his outing, and he now maintains an improved 1.19 WHIP (down from 1.22) and 2.72 K/BB (up from 2.54) across 57.0 innings on the season.

In all fairness, Tampa Bay’s de facto ace also got a little help from his defense, as showcased in the following videos.

McClanahan kept the Rays in the game, allowing the offense to push across the only run the team would need in the eighth inning.

After going 0-2 on the night, Luke Raley was hit by a pitch from Brewers’ reliever Peter Strzelecki to lead off the eighth. As he swiped second, William Contreras air-mailed his corresponding throw, and as it bounded away, Raley made his way into third base — putting himself into prime scoring position with one out. Four pitches later, Francisco Mejía hit a sacrifice fly, plating the game’s only run.

The New What Next

Zach Eflin (5-1, 3.38 ERA, 3.50 FIP) will get the start in this afternoon’s matinee contest, pitching opposite Eric Lauer (4-4, 4.54 ERA, 5.97 FIP).

Zach Eflin allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings against the Yankees. He struck out nine. Eflin was charged with four runs in the third inning on a pair of two-run homers from Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Rizzo. The 29-year-old right-hander has now surrendered eight runs in his last two outings after allowing just seven runs in his first five starts this season. Eflin still sports a solid 3.38 ERA and a 3.50 FIP, with a 1.08 WHIP, and an 8.5 K/BB through 40 innings on the season. He is 2-2 with a 4.18 ERA in five career starts against the Brewers.

Eric Lauer Allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over 5.1 innings against the Royals on Sunday. He struck out six. Lauer took over for Colin Rea with two outs in the fourth inning and was able to pitch the rest of the way. He only gave up two hits (both of which were solo shots) and tied his season high with six strikeouts. Overall, Lauer had a nice bounce-back outing after serving up 12 runs (seven earned) over his last 11.1 innings heading into Sunday. Lauer now sits at a 4.54 ERA and a 5.97 FIP, with a 1.44 WHIP, and 2.17 K/BB over 39.2 innings on the season. He relies primarily on a 91 mph fourseam fastball and an 87 mph cutter, while also mixing in a 76 mph curveball, and an 83 mph slider. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (1-3, 2B), Wander Franco (1-3, 2B, RBI), Francisco Mejía (1-2), Harold Ramírez (2-3, BB)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Brewers — a series preview

Rays 5/20/23 Starting Lineup

  1. Díaz 1B
  2. Franco SS
  3. Ramírez DH
  4. Arozarena LF
  5. Paredes 3B
  6. Bethabcourt C
  7. Walls 2B
  8. Margot RF
  9. Siri CF

Noteworthiness

— Tyler Glasnow returned to the mound on Tuesday and pitched four scoreless frames with nine strikeouts for Triple-A Durham. Glasnow’s fastball averaged 97.3 mph in that outing and maxed out at 99.4 mph, and he induced 16 swinging strikes on 57 pitches (28% SwStr).

The right-hander threw a bullpen session Friday afternoon at the Trop, and told Rays skipper Kevin Cash he felt “100%.” He is slated for one more rehab start on Sunday, and if all goes well, Glasnow will be ready to make his season debut before the end of Tampa Bay’s current 10-game homestand.

— Kevin Cash said Yandy Díaz (left groin tightness) was “doing really, really well” and he should be back in the lineup Saturday afternoon against the Brewers.

TNWN: Rays vs Brewers — a series preview

The Rays’ offense hasn’t shown any letup even though the pitching staff has regressed. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After dropping two of three to the Mets, and six of the last 10 games overall, the Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back at home, where they start a three-game series against the Brewers on Friday. The Brewers most recently dropped two of three to the Cardinals.

At 32-13 on the season, the Rays enter play 19 games over .500 and in first place in the AL East by 3.5 games over the Orioles. At 24-19 on the season, the Brewers enter play one game up on the Pirates in the NL Central.

While Tampa Bay labored on the road across the previous three series, they are thriving at home, entering this series with a 19-3 record under the big top. Considering that they just dropped two straight to conclude a losing road trip through New York and Baltimore, the Rays should warmly embrace their homecoming.

The relief corps has been scuffling of late — over the last seven days, the relievers have put up a combined 6.19 ERA and 6.32 FIP, with an ugly 66.0% LOB, a 1.24 WHIP, a 2.58 HR/9, and a 2.94 K/BB. The club undoubtedly need to give the bullpen a break, and it’ll be up to Shane McClanahan (Friday) and Zach Eflin (Saturday) to pitch deeply into their respective contests.

Offensively, there’s not much the Rays haven’t done well. Look at any stat, and if they’re not first, they’re almost certainly in the top 10. Randy Arozarena, Wander Franco, and Yandy Díaz — who’s missed the last few games while nursing a groin injury — form a three-headed monster at the top of the lineup, while Isaac Paredes, Josh Lowe, and Harold Ramírez are also hammering the ball. Brandon Lowe appears to be heating up again, which is a nightmare for opposing hurlers.

Entering this series, Milwaukee is 11-11 on the road. While a .500 road record won’t sink the ship, it certainly isn’t helping them as they slog it out with the Pirates for the top spot in the division. Pitching and defense are the primary concerns for the Brewers. In only one more road inning pitched compared to home, the Brewers have allowed 22 more runs in away games.

Offensively, the Brewers’ slugging dips dramatically on the road as well, dropping by 73 points compared to their home number. Milwaukee is coming off a rough series in St. Louis and is down to 21st in runs per game this season. And while there are positives, such as the ninth-most stolen bases and the sixth-highest walk rate, Milwaukee’s offense has mostly struggled, especially outside of American Family Field.

The Rays will be seeking revenge, as they dropped all four games against the Brewers last season.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Shane McClanahan (7-0, 2.34 ERA, 3.86 FIP), Zach Eflin (5-1, 3.38 ERA, 3.50 FIP), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale. Craig Counsell will counter with Adrian Houser (0-0, 5.19 ERA, 3.88 FIP), a pitcher to be named before Saturday’s contest, and Freddy Peralta (4-3, 4.11 ERA, 3.91 FIP).

Shane McClanahan allowed four runs on five hits and four walks over four innings against the Yankees. He struck out three. McClanahan was his usual dominant self through four shutout innings, but he allowed the first five batters to reach in the fifth, yielding a pair of two-run homers to Aaron Judge and Kyle Higashioka. The southpaw finished with season highs in walks and runs allowed while submitting season lows in innings and strikeouts, so it was easily his worst performance of the campaign. McClanahan now sports a 2.34 ERA and a 3.86 FIP, with a 1.22 WHIP, and 2.54 K/BB through nine starts (50 innings).

Adrian Houser allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out two batters over four-plus innings against Kansas City on Saturday. Houser was somewhat fortunate to have escaped the outing with just three runs on his ledger, as he allowed multiple baserunners in each of his four full innings. He remained in the contest to start the fifth but was yanked after allowing a leadoff solo homer to Salvador Perez. Houser didn’t fool many batters, coaxing just five swinging strikes, and he needed 88 pitches to get just 12 outs. He’s failed to impress through his first two starts, allowing five runs and 15 hits over 8.2 frames. All told, he owns a 5.18 ERA and a 3.88 FIP, with a 1.96 WHIP, and a 3.50 K/BB. Houser relies primarily on a 93 mph worm-killer sinker that has slight arm-side run and a 94 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action, while also mixing in an 83 mph slider, an 85 mph splitter that has some natural sink to it, and an 80 mph curveball with exceptional bite. Key Matchup: Francisco Mejía (1-3)

Zach Eflin allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings against the Yankees. He struck out nine. Eflin was charged with four runs in the third inning on a pair of two-run homers from Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Rizzo. The 29-year-old right-hander has now surrendered eight runs in his last two outings after allowing just seven runs in his first five starts this season. Eflin still sports a solid 3.38 ERA and a 3.50 FIP, with a 1.08 WHIP, and an 8.5 K/BB through 40 innings on the season. He is 2-2 with a 4.18 ERA in five career starts against the Brewers.

TBA

TBA

Freddy Peralta allowed six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out four batters over 5.1 innings against the Cardinals. Peralta fell behind early, surrendering a three-run homer to Nolan Arenado in the first inning, although he rebounded to allow just one more run over his following four frames. Be that as it may, his outing ended after he put two of the first three batters on base in the sixth, with both runners eventually coming around to score. Peralta had been pitching well coming into the contest, notching three straight quality starts during which he allowed just five runs while posting a 4.6 K/BB over 18 innings. All told, he maintains a 4.11 ERA and a 3.91 FIP, with a 1.30 WHIP, and an 2.63 K/BB through 46.0 innings on the season. Peralta relies primarily on a whiffy 95 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action and an 82 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in a 76 mph 12-6 curveball, and an 89 mph changeup that has slight arm-side fade and some natural sink to it. He is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one career start against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Christian Bethancourt (1-2), Yandy Díaz (1-2, HR, 2 RBI), Harold Ramírez (1-4)

The Music That Influenced This Preview

Blasting out of Milwaukee, Big Laugh plays a brand of hardcore that sounds like a cross between Heresey and Youth of Today. Pretty damn good, if you ask me.


TNWN: Rays vs Mets — a series preview

Taylor Walls rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam in the series finale against the Yankees. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After splitting a series against the Bronx Bummers, the Tampa Bay Rays head to Queens where they will start a three-game set against the Mets on Tuesday. The Mets split their most recent series against the Nationals.

At 31-11 on the season, the Rays enter play 20 games above .500. New York enters play at 20-22, two games below .500.

Overall, the Rays are scoring 6.2 runs per contest, which is second in baseball. That trend continued in the Bronx over the weekend when Tampa Bay’s offense put up 29 runs on Yankee hurlers for an average of 7.25 runs per game. All told, they’ve crossed the plate 260 times while maintaining a team on-base percentage of .349 (.353 OBP over the last seven days). While their slugging percentage over the last week (.440 SLG) is below their season SLG (.508), that’s nothing to scoff at…and it’s 73 points higher than that of the underperforming Mets over the same stretch. Whatever the case, Tampa Bay has put up a 126 wRC+ over the last seven days thanks to a .272 BA/.353 OBP/.440 SLG/.793 OPS line, with a 6.6 wRAA. Compare that to New York, whose wRC+ is 29% off the Rays’ pace over the same stretch.

Tampa Bay is sitting with a team ERA of 3.26 and a team FIP of 3.79 thus far (3.03 ERA and 3.33 FIP for the starters, and 3.51 ERA and 4.28 FIP for the relievers) which is the best in baseball. The pitching staff has struck out 355 hitters and yielded just 33 long balls in addition to 140 runs surrendered (first in baseball).

Meanwhile, New York holds a team WHIP of 1.346 and has a FIP of 4.88 thus far. They currently have an 8.70 K/BB (341 strikeouts against 155 free passes). They come in at ninth in baseball in total hits allowed with 320. The Mets have served up 54 home runs and they allow an average of 4.59 runs per game.

The Rays went 3-0 against the Mets the last time the two teams faced one another in 2021 and outscored them 22-8.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash is expected to turn Yonny Chirinos (1-1, 2.22 ERA, 3.91 FIP), likely Taj Bradley (3-0, 3.52 ERA, 2.58 FIP), and Josh Fleming (0-0, 4.26 ERA, 4.78 FIP). Buck Showalter will counter with Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 4.22 FIP), Kodai Senga (4-2, 4.14 ERA, 4.95 FIP), and Tylor Megill (4-2, 4.02 ERA, 5.23 FIP).

Yonny Chirinos allowed two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out a batter over five innings. Chirinos took over in the third inning and kept the Orioles off the board until the sixth. He allowed back-to-back hits and a walk to load the bases before Adam Frazier’s groundout to second and Austin Hays’ single drove in a pair of runs. Chirinos would come back out for a 1-2-3 seventh inning on just seven pitches. The right-hander now owns a 2.22 ERA and a 3.91 FIP, with a 0.99 WHIP, but a 0.90 K/BB over 24.1 innings.

Justin Verlander allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven innings in his last start. The only damage against Verlander came in the opening inning when Jonathan India led off with a single and eventually came around to score on a double by Jake Fraley. Verlander quieted the Reds from there, allowing just two other batters to reach via walks. He generated 13 whiffs on 104 pitches (13% SwStr) and was still touching 96 MPH with his fastball in the seventh inning. It was a dominant effort from Verlander, who owns a 2.25 ERA but a 4.22 FIP, with a 0.83 WHIP, and a 4.00 K/BB across two starts. He relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph fourseam fastball and a hard 87 mph slider, while also mixing in a 79 mph 12-6 curveball. Verlander is 10-4 with a 3.14 ERA in 20 career outings against the Rays. Key Matchups: Christian Bethancourt (1-3, HR, 2 RBI), Yandy Díaz (2-7, 2B, BB), Brandon Lowe (2-8, 2B)

Taj Bradley surrendered four earned runs across 3.1 innings Thursday for Triple-A Durham and has a 16.00 ERA and 2.22 WHIP in nine innings across three starts since getting sent back to the minors on April 25. It’s been a really rough stretch for the Rays’ top prospect since he was surprisingly demoted after racking up three wins with a 3.52 ERA and a 2.58 FIP, with a 0.91 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 15.1 innings across his first three big league starts. Bear in mind the purpose of his original demotion was to transition him to a five-day schedule as opposed to a six-day schedule, but his start Thursday against Charlotte was the first time he has actually pitched on a five-day schedule all season, while his presumed start on Wednesday will be six days after his last start. In other words, go figure.

Kodai Senga allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over five innings. Senga gave the Mets five frames, which can be viewed as a small moral victory after he was tagged for five hits and four runs in the first inning. He settled in from there and yielded just one more run. Both the five runs and eight hits were season-worst marks for Senga, who was coming off six scoreless innings against Colorado in his previous start. His season ERA now sits at 4.14 while his FIP sits at 4.95, and he’s posted a 1.87 K/BB over 37 innings. He relies primarily on a 96 mph worm-killer fourseam fastball and a 90 mph cutter, while also mixing in a whiffy 84 mph splitter that has some natural sink to it, and an 82 mph slider that sweeps across the zone and has exceptional depth.

Josh Fleming allowed one run on three hits and a walk over four relief innings on Friday against the Yankees. He struck out two. Entering the game in the third inning following the opener, Fleming was handed a 2-1 lead but eventually gave up the tying run before exiting after 52 pitches (29 strikes, 56% strike rate). The southpaw has been erratic this season — 11 of his 15 earned runs allowed have come in just two of his eight appearances — while he owns a 4.26 ERA and a 4.78 FIP, with a 1.42 WHIP, and a 1.21 K/BB through 31.2 innings. Fleming is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in two outings (one start) against the Mets.

Tylor Megill gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks over five innings against the Nationals on Friday. He struck out four. The right-hander was far from efficient, throwing only 53 of 93 pitches for strikes (57% strike rate), and when Megill left the mound for good after the bottom of the fifth, the Mets were staring at a two-run deficit. He continues to fight the strike zone and has issued at least three walks in five of his last six turns while posting a 4.91 ERA, a 1.64 WHIP, and 1.16 K/BB through 29.1 innings over that stretch. He relies primarily on a 95 mph four-seam fastball that has some natural sinking action and an 84 mph slider that has exceptional depth, while also mixing in a hard 89 mph changeup that has arm-side fade and has some natural sink, and a whiffy 77 mph curveball that has exceptional bite.

Noteworthiness

— The Rays reinstated right-hander Pete Fairbanks from the 15-day Injured List on Monday and optioned right-hander Chris Muller to Triple-A Durham.

The Music That Influenced This Preview

If you’re into distorted, raging, hardcore punk with a rock and roll attitude, check out Negative Blast’s newest ripper, “Echo Planet.”

RHP Zack Littell is to officially report to the Rays today

The Rays acquired Zack Littell for cash considerations after Garrett Cleavinger was placed on the 60-Day Injured List.

After placing Garrett Cleavinger on the 60-Day Injured List, the Tampa Bay Rays claimed right-hander Zack Littell off of waivers from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations. Littell will officially report today; the team designated RHP Javy Guerra for assignment to make room on the active roster.

Littell, 27, was acquired by Boston from the Rangers last week in exchange for cash considerations. The right-hander struggled in three innings of work with the Red Sox, allowing 3 runs on four walks (one intentional) and three hits while striking out just two.

The best season of Littell’s career up to now came in 2021, as a member of the Giants. In 61.2 innings of work, Littell posted a fantastic 2.92 ERA (142 ERA+) and a 3.87 FIP, with a 1.14 WHIP, and a 2.63 K/BB. That season, Littell struck out a career-high 25% of batters faced while walking 9.5%. He also posted a career-high 46.9% groundball rate during the aforementioned campaign. Unfortunately, Littell’s previous struggles returned a season later when he posted a 5.08 ERA and a 4.65 FIP across 44.1 innings with San Francisco.

Littell relies primarily on a 94 mph fourseam fastball, an 87 mph 12-6 slider that he uses as his main putaway pitch, and an 84 mph splitter that has some natural sink to it.

At his best, Littell was successful for a couple of reasons. First, he was effectively a two-pitch pitcher in 2020 when he used his slider more often — his slider usage is currently 25.8%, down from 43.6% in 2020. That’s not to say his splitter is ineffective. Secondly, in 2020 he set up his splitter with his fourseamer, which with he pitched to the corners. In the present tense, he has left that fourseamer in very hittable locations.

Littell pitch usage in 2020. (Screengrab: StatCast)
Littell pitch usage in 2023. (Screengrab: StatCast)

If there is a team that could fix Littell, it’s the Rays. At the end of the day, this is a low-risk move by Tampa Bay’s front office. If nothing positive comes out of the acquisition, no harm no foul.

Rays injury update

Right-hander Drew Rasmussen hit the 60-Day Injured List on Friday.

Let’s call it a body blow after body blow kind of week for the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff. On Monday, LHP Garrett Cleavinger was shelved due to a right knee sprain that he incurred the day prior. Then, on Wednesday, RHP Tyler Glasnow was pulled from a rehab start after just one inning with general left-side tightness. Finally, after dominating the Yankees on Thursday, RHP Drew Rasmussen was placed on the 60-Day Injured List with a right elbow flexor strain.

First off, I’d like to acknowledge my general absence from the blog this week. With state testing ramping up, plus band commitments, it has been difficult to sit down and watch a game much less get some screen time and write about the team. However, with just nine school days left of the 2022/23 school year, my schedule should open up toward the end of May. In short, I’m getting there.

Garrett Cleavinger

Garrett Cleavinger (ACL sprain) departed Sunday’s contest against the Yankees after appearing to hurt himself while attempting to tag out Aaron Hicks during a rundown. He isn’t expected to return this season. While it seemed likely that the left-hander would miss some time, the absence will be a significant one, which is a rough development for both him and the team.

To compensate for the loss, the Rays finalized a major league deal with left-hander Jake Diekman.

Diekman, 36, began the season with the White Sox — the team from which he was released after posting a 7.94 ERA and 5.81 FIP in 13 outings.

https://twitter.com/STUSTERNBERG/status/1656831719167729671?s=20

In spite of that, he has quickly found a new home with the Rays. He has taken the mound once in a Rays’ uniform — a scoreless 1-2-3 frame against the Yankees on Thursday in which he punched out one.

The southpaw has been a useful reliever in the past and Tampa Bay will figure out a way to get him back to his previous form. Control has always been an issue for the hurler, as he only once posted a walk rate below 10%, back in 2013; his career walk rate currently sits at 13.3%. However, he’s successfully overcome those walks by racking up strikeouts. Between 2012 and 2022, he struck out between 25% and 32% of batters faced, punctuated by a 36.9% K% in the truncated 2020 campaign.

Since the Rays are paying the league minimum for Diekman, there’s no risk in giving him a shot — if it doesn’t work out, the team can quickly move on without really losing anything.

Tyler Glasnow

The Rays were dealt a minor scare Wednesday when Tyler Glasnow left his rehab outing after one inning — he was slated for four innings and/or 60-65 pitches — due to a bout of left-side tightness. The removal was precautionary, however, and it doesn’t appear to be a cause for concern. Rays manager Kevin Cash said Glasnow experienced “no pain, just felt something where he wasn’t trusting to let it go.”

Cash also noted that Glasnow’s tests came back clear and he’s expected to have a bullpen session on May 13 or 14 and then pitch around three innings in a rehab game, most likely on May 16. If all goes as planned, he should make his season debut shortly thereafter.

Drew Rasmussen

Tampa Bay placed Drew Rasmussen on the 60-day Injured List on Friday after he was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his forearm. He’s expected to be out until at least the All-Star Break.

Rasmussen didn’t show any signs of being hampered in a seven-shutout inning performance against the Yankees on Thursday, striking out seven while allowing just two baserunners. The velocity on each of his fastball, slider, and curveball was right in line with his previous work this season. However, the velo on his final few pitches was down, which pitching coach Kyle Snyder noticed.

Rasmussen apparently incurred a severe forearm issue from that appearance. As with Jeffrey Springs before him, Rasmussen didn’t feel pain or a pop, but rather a nervous tingling sensation.

Like nerve sensitivity, not really any severe pain.

— Drew Rasmussen

Rasmussen received an MRI Friday morning which indicated a strain of the flexor muscles near the elbow. However, he could be out for the remainder of the season (if not more) if surgery is needed…which he and the team are hopeful it necessary. Per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Rasmussen said the initial imaging “looked OK” regarding the UCL, and the initial diagnosis from team orthopedist Dr. Koco Eaton, who happened to be in New York for the weekend, was that surgery was not initially recommended. Rasmussen will get further evaluation next week by specialist Dr. Keith Meister.

Whatever the case, he’s in line for a notable absence. Tampa Bay wasted no time in placing him on the 60-day Injured List, indicating they didn’t feel there was a chance of him making it back to a big-league mound before July.

In the short term, the Rays selected right-hander Chris Muller, who will work out of the bullpen, to take Rasmussen’s spot on the roster. In 14 games for Triple-A Durham (17.0 IP), Muller had a 3.71 ERA and a 3.77 FIP and struck out 19 batters, but walked 10. He adds an arm with some swing-and-miss capability to Tampa Bay’s bullpen.

Over the long term, the Rays are expected to recall either top prospect Taj Bradley or right-hander Cooper Criswell, either of which is expected to start on Wednesday, May 17.

Noteworthiness

— After exiting a contest in Chicago on April 28 due to a recurrence of Raynaud’s syndrome symptoms in his right hand, Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 15-day Injured List on May 3 (retroactive to April 30) due to inflammation in his right forearm, near his wrist. Fairbanks noted that the injury is “unrelated” to the one that forced him to leave his last outing, and something he felt near the end of his delivery. The right-hander is scheduled to return when eligible after the Rays’ May 15 off-day.