A day after defeating the Orioles, 7-1, in Port Charlotte, Tyler Glasnow and the Tampa Bay Rays will face the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton. The Rays announced a new round of roster cuts on Tuesday, while manager Kevin Cash named Glasnow as the Opening Day starter this morning.
Tampa Bay announced the second wave of roster cuts, optioning nine players to minor league camp and reassigning one more:
Infielders Vidal Brujan, Kevin Padlo and Taylor Walls, outfielder Josh Lowe, RHP Brent Honeywell, Louis Patino, and Drew Strotman, LHP Shane McClanahan, and LHP/1B Brendan McKay. Additionally, Joe Ryan was reassigned to minor league camp. Tampa Bay now has 53 players on its big league Spring Training roster.
They’re all close. Sometimes you’re at the mercy of having what we would consider a good club that went really into the postseason. There’s not always space for everybody. That doesn’t make the conversations any easier.
— Kevin Cash
Cash told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) the team laid out plans with the pitchers, including Shane McClanahan, telling them that while they have all have limitations, such as inning limits, all of them will have the chance to contribute in 2021.
Couldn’t have done anything better. He was understanding. He understood and reiterated that. That doesn’t mean he has to be happy about it. The guy wants to be in the big leagues and none of us here are going to blame him or fault him for that. …We’re going to need them because they’re good. They’re going to help us win games and that’s the most important thing.
— Kevin Cash
Per Solondz, any player that wasn’t optioned by March 16th and then got injured would then have to start the season on the Major League IL rather than in the minors. Any of the nine players could still be recalled and placed on the Opening Day roster.
Meanwhile, on the field, Ryan Yarbrough pitched into the fourth inning. He threw 30 of 50 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate), allowing four total base runners on three singles — two on the infield — and a hit batter. Not only did he pitch through a stomach bug, but he also had to sit through a long seven-run second inning.
In so doing, Yarbrough played catch with pitching coach Kyle Snyder in front of the Rays dugout.
Normally you can go back in the tunnel or there’s some batting cage or something but here in Spring Training you’ve got to make the most of everything. Probably one of the longer innings I’ve seen in a while which is always a good thing if you’re hitters are doing that.
— Ryan Yarbrough
In the above-mentioned frame, the Rays sent 12 batters to the plate and scored all seven of their runs.
In the words of Neil…
Mike Brosseau had a two-run double, while Mike Zunino belted a three-run homer.
Brosseau did leave the game an inning early after getting hit in the back by a pitch, but Cash says he is fine.
— Neil Solondz
The New What Next
Tyler Glasnow will get the start on Wednesday against his former team. In his last outing, Glasnow threw four shutout frames, and the goal today would be to get him into the fifth inning assuming he’s efficient. On the backfields of Port Charlotte, Collin McHugh and Brent Honeywell Jr. will be among those to participate in an intrasquad game. Yandy Diaz and Willy Adames are scheduled to hit against them.
Rays 3/17/21 Starting Lineup
- Meadows LF
- Margot RF
- Wendle 3B
- Brosseau 1B
- Mejia C
- Franco SS
- Mastrobuoni 2B
- Sullivan DH
- Boldt CF
- Glasnow RHP
Noteworthiness
— Kevin Cash casually named Glasnow as the Opening Day starter on Wednesday morning, while answering a question about Stetson Allie, the non-roster hurler who Glasnow “pounded the table” for.
So, Tyler not only is going to pitch Opening Day for us, but he’s also one of our scouts.
— Kevin Cash
This will be the first Opening Day outing of Glasnow’s career.
We’re excited. I know it’s a big deal to pitchers. The way Tyler has thrown the ball the last couple seasons, he deserves the opportunity. … He’s a guy that we feel confident should be built up … to go out there and log innings. From what he did last season, the way he competed in the postseason, kind of all of the above.
— Kevin Cash
Cash declined to name the rest of his rotation, which is expected to include Ryan Yarbrough, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, and Chris Archer, although Fox Sports Sun speculated what it could look like (above).
— The Rays announced that they plan to host a “Drive to Opening Day” event at the Trop on March 27 in lieu of a traditional Fan Fest. You can read about the event below by way of the official press release.
The Tampa Bay Rays will host Drive to Opening Day, a new drive-thru event in the Tropicana Field parking lots that replaces the team’s annual Fan Fest. Presented by Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Drive to Opening Day will take place on Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With COVID-19 still prevalent in the Tampa Bay area, the Rays have transformed the preseason event into a drive-thru concept with giveaways, experiences and photo opportunities from fans’ cars. Fan hosts, DJs and mascots Raymond and DJ Kitty will be on hand at stations throughout the event.
To participate in Drive to Opening Day, fans can claim a free ticket for a designated time slot at RaysBaseball.com/Drive, starting on Thursday, March 18 at 10 a.m. Season Members will have the opportunity to claim tickets before the general public.
Tickets reserved in advance are free. If space is still available, fans who arrive on the day of the event without a reservation can enter by making a $10 donation to the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund.
“Fan Fest is a fan favorite at Tropicana Field,” said Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services Eric Weisberg. “The event is evolving to make sure that fans can still celebrate the excitement of the upcoming season — and the success of 2020 — in an engaging and safe way.”
For safety and convenience, fans will not need to leave their vehicle for any of the activities and can choose a specific time slot to avoid long lines of cars.
Among the activities and experiences at the event, fans will have the opportunity to take pictures with the American League Championship trophy, wave to Tampa Bay Rowdies mascots Pete and Pinnie and see the Rowdies Eastern Conference Championship trophy while inside their vehicles. The Rowdies station will also feature a limited-edition giveaway. In addition, WDAE’s Zac Blobner and Nick Wize will broadcast live from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
A snack station will have light ballpark fare for fans as they drive. Additional activity stations include presence from Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, FOX Sports Sun, Visit St. Pete Clearwater, Outback Steakhouse and Hooters.
The Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund will sell mystery game-used baseballs and mystery autographed baseballs, with all proceeds benefiting the foundation. Mystery game-used baseballs are $20, while mystery autographed baseballs are $40. Fans can also visit RaysBaseball.com/Auctions from March 26-28 to purchase team-issued shirts, caps, helmets and jerseys, also benefiting the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund. Items purchased online will be shipped. The Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization and the official charity of the Rays and Rowdies, is dedicated to improving the lives of those in need within our community, focusing primarily on education, youth development, wellness and social responsibility. For more information about the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund, visit RaysBaseball.com/Community.
Fans will also have the opportunity to donate to 10 Tampa Bay and Feeding Tampa Bay’s Cereal for Summer Drive, which works to fight hunger during the summer school break and benefits families in the Tampa Bay community. Suggested donations include cereal, breakfast bars, granola and oatmeal. Each household that donates will receive a surprise Rays promotional item.
At the conclusion of the drive-thru event, fans may park and exit their vehicles in a designated section of the parking lot to speak to Rays Ticket Sales Representatives or shop in the Rays Republic Team Store.
The Rays are committed to keeping fans and staff safe during the Drive to Opening Day event. Face masks are required while vehicle windows are down and any time outside a vehicle.
— Tampa Bay Rays