Tampa Bay Rays Roster
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Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Brooks Raley fired a scoreless ninth inning during Sunday's victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired the first two batters before issuing a two out walk to Jack Suwinski. The 33-year-old recorded the next out and picked up his fourth save of the season. The Rays are expected to continue going closer by committee, which means Raley will be in the mix for saves. However, it's uncertain when his chances will come, so it's tough to count on him as a fantasy option.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (lat) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Monday, according to Rays manager Kevin Cash. Cash laid out the plan for Fairbanks over the coming week. Assuming Fairbanks has no setbacks, after Monday's session he will pitch in a Florida Complex League game on Thursday. Then he will join Triple-A Durham. Fairbanks is working his way back from a right lat muscle tear that he suffered during spring training. He was a heavily utilized arm out of the pen for the Rays last year, appearing in 47 games and racking up 14 holds and five saves while pitching to a 3.59 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco (quadriceps) will serve as the designated hitter for Triple-A Durham on Friday and could return Sunday against the Pirates. Of course, all will need to go well Friday, and his evaluation on Saturday will also need to pass smoothly. After a huge April in which he had a .912 OPS with four homers and three steals, Franco fell off in May with a .566 OPS, no homers and just one steal. Perhaps the injury played a part in those numbers, but either way, he should be better once he returns. He is still a must-start asset for fantasy managers.
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda is making his major league debut on Friday against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, and he will start at second base and bat seventh in the batting order. Aranda was called up from the minors earlier this week and will function in a super-utility role for the Rays for the time being. The team's No. 21 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, was hitting a strong .310/.386/.512 with an .898 OPS, 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 45 runs scored and three stolen bases in 63 games with Triple-A Durham before his call-up. Because he probably won't be playing every day, he's really only an option for those in AL-only and dynasty leagues for the time being. Aranda is a hit-over-power player that stands at just 5-foot-10.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-hander Drew Rasmussen (hamstring) will throw a simulated game on Saturday and could rejoin the starting rotation next week when the team plays at the Toronto Blue Jays for four games in five days. Rasmussen landed on the injured list on June 15 with a left hamstring strain, but he's looking at a return next week. The 26-year-old was dominant to kick off the year, but he had a 5.59 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 19 1/3 innings in his four starts before his hamstring injury. Still, he's sporting a 3.41 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 49 strikeouts and 16 walks in 58 innings over 12 starts overall and should be scooped up off the waiver wire if he was dropped by his previous owner.
