On a day when the Rays saw Yonny Chirinos take the mound at the Trop for the first time since August 2020, Tampa Bay also received good news from Durham, where Tyler Glasnow made his first rehab appearance with the Bulls.
I feel good. It all feels pretty normal. … I felt normal for the first time on the mound. I walked a guy but it was the first time I felt normal. Got me back into competition.
— Tyler Glasnow
The right-hander threw 19 pitches total (11 strikes, 58% strike rate), utilized all three of his pitches — fastball, slider, and curveball — and consistently pumped strikes throughout his outing after a first-inning leadoff walk to Yankees’ top prospect Anthony Volpe. His fastball clocked in between 96-98 mph.
It was like, ‘All right, don’t do that.’ I just kind of went back to like, ‘All right, I’ve got to try to compete,’ get back to not like the preparation mindset. After that, it just felt way, way, way sharper. So once a guy got on and I quickened up my delivery, it felt really good.
— Tyler Glasnow
After the walk, Glasnow retired each of the next three hitters he faced on a swinging strikeout (on a hard curveball), a called third strikeout, and a groundout to rehabbing shortstop Wander Franco.
Glasnow’s rehab program was designed by the team with a 2023 return in mind, however, it is possible that he could pitch for the Rays this season, depending on how he bounces back physically between outings.
Glasnow conceded that he sometimes felt sore after his live batting practice sessions, although his between-outings recovery has been moving on an upward trajectory. What comes next will be predicated on how he feels tomorrow.
I’m going to have to wait and see, like, (how I feel) recovery-wise, I guess, and then kind of get back with them and figure out what they want me to do. I’m assuming I’m probably going to throw more (in Triple-A rehab games), I guess. Really, I don’t know. I think it’s like a rolling schedule at this point, but I think it’s more waking up and like figuring out how I’ve recovered, and just checking all those boxes.
— Tyler Glasnow
Something to tuck away in the back of your mind, if Glasnow pitches every fifth day, there should be time for him to make five Triple-A appearances before the Bulls’ season ends (the MLB regular season lasts one week longer).