Tampa Bay Rays Roster
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Tampa Bay Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger picked up his second save in four days in Wednesday's 7-5 victory over the Tigers. With closer Pete Fairbanks on the IL, Cleavinger has been used to close out games and has been successful so far in doing so. It was thought that this would be a closer-by-committee situation, but Jason Adam was used in the seventh and eighth innings in Wednesday's game, while Colin Poche blew a save opportunity on Tuesday, so Cleavinger might be the front runner for save opportunities at this point. These two saves were Cleavinger's first two of his career, so he has no prior experience in the role, but has a solid 2.53 ERA so far on the season and has struck out 14 batters in 10 2/3 IP. The command could use some work, as he's walked nine batters thus far including one in the ninth inning on Wednesday, but so far it hasn't been a real problem for him. The 30-year-old could get a handful more save opportunities with Fairbanks on the shelf, and could be picked up in most leagues for managers in need of saves.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that closer Pete Fairbanks (undisclosed) underwent tests on Tuesday that came back "really clean". Fairbanks was sent for multiple tests, evaluating everything from his neck to his fingertips, but the Rays still haven't provided a specific diagnosis. Cash is "encouraged that nothing is showing up", though. While it's promising to hear no serious setback for Fairbanks has come to light to this point, the hard-throwing 30-year-old right-hander's return timetable from a nerve-related issue remains very cloudy. Over Fairbanks' two injured-list stints last season, setup man Jason Adam collected 10 saves while the closer was sidelined and belongs on all mixed-league fantasy rosters until Tampa Bay's bullpen hierarchy becomes clearer. Lefty Colin Poche should be in the mix for ninth-inning work as well, but he gave up three runs in the eighth inning in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez has been doing it all this season for Double-A Wichita. The 21-year-old outfielder has dealt with injuries the last two seasons, but looks fully recovered in his first 14 games of the season. Over that span, Rodriguez is hitting a healthy .289 with four homers, 10 RBI and eight stolen bases. He also has a shiny 1.219 OPS. Rodriguez has risen a level in each year of professional career with the Twins and held his own at each stop. The left-handed hitter has very good bat speed and strong plate discipline at such a young age and his power game is just developing as he fills out his body. The biggest flaw for the youngster has been his ability to stay healthy, but he has the future makings of a five-tool star, if everything clicks. He is a couple years away, but he should be looked at by dynasty managers and a name for redraft managers to file away for as early as next season.
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Taylor Walls (hip) is taking 10 to 14 days off from baseball activities due to hip inflammation. The Rays moved Walls to the 60-day injured list over the weekend while he recovers from surgery on his right hip. There's no clear timetable for his return, with manager Kevin Cash saying on April 13 that Walls is "just not going as quick as maybe we had originally anticipated." Given the amount of time he has missed, it seems likely Walls will have to essentially recreate a progression similar to spring training whenever he gets back to game action. The 27-year-old had surgery on Oct. 27 to fix a labral tear in his right hip. He said he had been dealing with a "noticeable hip impingement" for more than a year. It would probably be a surprise if we saw Walls in the big leagues before June.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) started a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham over the weekend and hit a home run in his second game back on Saturday with a Statcast-projected 106.4 mph, 403-foot shot to right-center field. He finished the game 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI for the Bulls. The 26-year-old strained his right oblique during spring training and was forced to open the year on the injured list. Lowe is expected back around early May, and there's no reason he should be on your league's waiver wire after breaking out in 2023 with 20 home runs and 32 stolen bases. When Lowe is able to return to Tampa, Amed Rosario and Richie Palacios will likely be hurt the most in terms of playing time in the Rays' outfield. Lowe essentially needs a full spring training's worth of at-bats to get ready.