Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks of the regular season due to a grade-two oblique strain that he suffered on Monday. He is expected to return to action in mid to late April.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that Glasnow’s injury is unrelated to his surgically repaired right elbow. What’s more, given that the right-hander hasn’t thrown more than 88 innings since 2018, he would have been on some sort of innings limit. With the minimal workload in mind, it’s probable that the coaching staff would have kept a watchful eye on his inning count this season.
Rays skipper Kevin Cash indicated that they’ll have a better timeline on the hurler about ten days from now.
Left-hander Shane McClanahan, who now is the heir apparent to start the season as the team’s top starter, is hopeful that Glasnow will recover quickly.
Tyler is in great shape and he’s going to work his butt off to get back. We have his back and we’re going to support him.
— Shane McClanahan
While Glasnow being on the shelf clearly isn’t an operable situation, the fifth spot in the rotation will be up for grabs, and the team has the depth to cover the injury: Yonny Chirinos, Luis Patiño, Josh Fleming, and Taj Bradley are among the 40-man options that could fill in for Glasnow.
It’s not ideal, but knowing Glas and the work he puts in, he’ll be back as quick as anybody. Good thing for us we have a lot of very good quality options to insert if Glasnow isn’t ready on time.
— Kevin Cash
It should be noted, too, that many clubs opt to skip the fifth spot in the rotation early in the season due to the number of off days baked within the schedule — something the Rays are no stranger to. To that end, Tampa Bay is the team that pioneered the use of openers, bulk pitchers, and bullpen games, and it wouldn’t be inconceivable to see them go back to that strategy as well.
The New What Next
The Rays will face Atlanta in North Port on Wednesday. Shane McClanahan will get the start on the mound, while Luis Patiño will also see bump time. Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena are among the regular position players scheduled to appear.
Beyond that, any player that did not play on Tuesday left Orlando early and headed back to St. Petersburg — and the friendly confines of Tropicana Field — where the team will play the balance of the home Grapefruit League schedule, starting Thursday.
So appreciative of Disney, what they allowed for us. We got our work in and now we get to go back home and sleep in our own beds for an extra month.
— Kevin Cash
Injury Report
— Calvin Faucher (oblique) continues on his throwing program.
— Taylor Walls (oblique) will resume baseball activities on Thursday. He initially suffered the injury days before Spring Training while doing core strengthening exercises (yes, I too am a fan of irony). Walls told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) he feels he still has time to be ready for Opening Day.
— Shawn Armstrong (neck tightness) has not been throwing for more than a week, although he is scheduled to play catch on Friday or Saturday and is feeling much better.