Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz brought swing-and-miss stuff once again in Monday's 16-1 drubbing of the Red Sox. Baz pitched six innings, allowing one run on two hits (including a solo home run) and no walks with 11 strikeouts. The 25-year-old now has double-digit strikeouts in two of his three starts, culminating in a 2-0 record with a 1.42 ERA, a 12.79 K/9 rate, and a 1.89 BB/9 rate in 19 IP. His curveball has been one of his best swing-and-miss pitches, and he has thrown it nearly 15% more often in 2025 compared to 2024. He will be put to the test in his next scheduled start against the Yankees, but he has been so hot that fantasy managers may find the potential reward worth the risk of starting him.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz was dominant on Tuesday, pitching seven shutout innings while striking out 10 in a 7-0 win over the Pirates. Baz racked up strikeouts against the team that drafted him, throwing his curveball 35 percent of the time with a 50% whiff rate on the pitch. He posted a 3.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 69 strikeouts in 79 innings in 2024, but 2025 marks the first year that he will have the opportunity to pitch a full season. A huge breakout could be coming for the former top prospect, and he should be universally rostered in fantasy.
Shane Baz Not Worried About Spring Training Results
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shane Baz hasn't put up great numbers in his two Grapefruit League starts, but despite another rough showing on Thursday against the Washington Nationals in which he gave up four earned runs on five hits while walking none and striking out two in 4 1/3 innings, he was encouraged with his outing. "That was the best four-run game I've ever pitched," Baz told manager Kevin Cash. The 25-year-old was able to pitch into the fifth inning and showed improved control and command of his pitches. Overall, Baz has given up 10 earned runs with four walks and five strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings. It hasn't been pretty, but he continues to improve his control and command after missing all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. The arrow is pointing up, but the fact that Baz hasn't thrown more than 108 2/3 frames in a single season keeps his upside low entering 2025 as a back-end fantasy starter, at best.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz tossed his third consecutive quality start in Saturday's 7-2 victory over the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs on just three hits and a walk while striking out seven over six innings of work, picking up his fourth win. Baz has looked good since coming off of the IL in July after his recovery from Tommy John surgery, other than perhaps some command issues which he's cleaned up as of late, with just four walks compared to 23 strikeouts over his last four starts. The righty looked like he had a promising future before requiring Tommy John, and that still looks to be the case after he posted a 3.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 14 starts. While the 13.2% K-BB% overall doesn't jump off the page, the last four starts were more in line with what managers should expect from the former first-rounder next season, as he pitched to a 20.9% K-BB% over that timeframe.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz continued his stellar second half of the season on Sunday. The right-hander allowed one run on four hits over six innings of work during the victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Baz notched six strikeouts while only walking one batter during this outing. He holds a 2.71 ERA since the All-Star break and looks to end the regular season on a strong note against the Boston Red Sox next week.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-hander Shane Baz (illness), who was scratched from his start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels due to the flu, was feeling better and threw on Wednesday. The plan is for Baz to throw a bullpen session on Thursday and be slotted back into the starting rotation on Saturday at Tropicana Field against the San Diego Padres. It won't be a great matchup for the former first-rounder in his return from an illness. The 25-year-old has only made eight starts in 2024 after returning from Tommy John surgery, but he's been serviceable in those eight starts, going 1-2 with a 3.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched for the Rays. His last outing was his best, going 7 2/3 shutout innings with three walks and four strikeouts on Aug. 20 against the Oakland Athletics.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz put together his best start of the season on Tuesday versus the Oakland Athletics to earn his first victory of the season. Baz tossed 7 2/3 innings of scoreless ball and allowed three hits, three walks and struck out four on the evening. Although the walks weren't ideal, Baz was pretty much dominant throughout the evening in a 1-0 victory. The right-hander got a late start to the season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, but he has pitched well since his return with a 3.48 ERA to go along with 36 strikeouts in 44 innings over his first eight starts. Baz has continued to pitch longer into games and is worth rostering in deeper leagues. Next up for Baz will be a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, a matchup that should be avoided.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz had a strong outing on Friday night, notching seven strikeouts and giving up just two runs on two hits in the Rays 3-2 extra innings loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Baz's ERA now sits at 3.66 on the season after the no-decision. After two starts against the New York Yankees in which Baz failed to complete five innings, tonight's six inning performance was a great sign for the 25-year-old. Baz has had a lot of hype surround him in his career that was put majorly on hold over the last two seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery, but it appears he's on the right path to providing the Rays and fantasy managers alike a ton of value. His next scheduled start is set for next Friday when the Rays travel to Houston to face the Astros.
Shane Baz Delivers Quality Start In First Start Back
Tampa Bay Rays starter Shane Baz took the mound in the big leagues for the first time in almost 24 months on Friday, July 5, and delivered a quality start in the team's 3-0 loss to the Texas Rangers. Baz gave up three runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts across six strong innings. The right-hander threw 92 pitches and looked as advertised in his first major-league start since July 10, 2022. The 25-year-old is now lined up to face the New York Yankees on Thursday in his second start of the season. While the Yankees have struggled at the plate of late, Baz is still a risky option in Week 16. This matchup will be a great test for the Rays starter.
The Tampa Bay Rays officially recalled right-hander Shane Baz from Triple-A Durham ahead of his start on Friday against the Texas Rangers, his first start in the big leagues since July 10, 2022. In a corresponding move, reliever Justin Sterner was optioned to Durham. The team's former top prospect should now already be rostered in most fantasy leagues after the Rays traded Aaron Civale to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week to make room in their starting rotation for Baz. The 25-year-old missed all of last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery. While the Rays could be quite careful with Baz's workload the rest of the 2024 season, he should remain locked into their rotation and has considerable upside in all fantasy leagues. If he's somehow available on your waiver wire, add him ASAP.
