Richards, who allowed two earned runs on two hits over two innings but recorded four strikeouts in a Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox on Friday, projects for multiple roles in 2021, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "Richie's done well this spring," Cash said. "[Rays pitching coach] Kyle [Snyder] is very excited [about] where he's at and how he can help us in multiple ways."
The 27-year-old swingman had his share of struggles in 2020, pitching to a bloated 5.91 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across nine appearances (four starts). However, Richards had shown some promise in 2019 in the form of a 1.93 ERA across 23.1 innings after arriving from the Marlins via trade, and despite Richards surrendering a pair of earned runs in each of his first two spring outings, the Rays seem to be high on his versatility.