Pruitt is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Durham and enter the Tampa Bay rotation when the Rays next require a fifth starter Friday or Saturday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays have an opening in their rotation once again after demoting the struggling Brendan McKay to Triple-A following another ugly start in Monday's loss to the Mariners. Pruitt is eligible to return from the minors Thursday and could be an option for either of the first two games of the weekend series in Baltimore, depending on how the Rays want to proceed with Trevor Richards, who is easing back into a starter's workload after having recently transitioned from a relief role. Assuming Pruitt does in fact rejoin the big club this weekend, the Rays may choose to deploy him behind an opener, which would probably enhance his chances of finding success. All of Pruitt's nine outings with the big club this season have come out of the bullpen, with the righty turning in a 4.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB across 26.2 innings.