Chirinos is slated to work in a bulk-relief role for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Chirinos stepped into the Tampa Bay rotation last weekend against the Yankees, covering 5.1 innings in a traditional starting role while giving up three earned runs on three hits and four walks. The performance marked a step back from how he had fared in his first four extended relief appearances, as Chirinos came into that start with a 0.64 ERA and 0.57 WHIP over 14 innings. Though he looks like he'll have a spot in the rotation until either Tyler Glasnow (oblique) is activated from the 15-day injured list or Taj Bradley is recalled from Triple-A Durham, Chirinos looks like he could jostle between starting and bulk relieving, depending on matchups and on what pitchers the Rays have available on a given day. Jalen Beeks is slated to open Wednesday's game and will likely cover one or two innings before giving way to Chirinos.