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.
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.