MLB Player News

Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested after Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins that he intends to have Boyle piggyback Drew Rasmussen for at least a few more turns through the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Rasmussen has moved back into a full-time starting role in 2025 after undergoing the third major elbow surgery of his career in July 2023, the Rays are aiming to limit him to around 150 innings this season. Just over halfway into the campaign, Rasmussen has already compiled 89.1 innings, so the Rays will stick to their plan of managing his workload so that he can be available in some capacity through the rest of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs. The Rays took the first step in curtailing Rasmussen's workload Sunday, when Boyle was called up from Triple-A Durham to pitch in bulk relief behind him. After Rasmussen covered the first two frames, Boyle stepped in and covered the next five innings, striking out seven batters while allowing an unearned run on two hits and one walk. Cash didn't go into specifics regarding how long past the All-Star break the Rasmussen/Boyle pairing might be used or whether Rasmussen would continue to be capped at around two innings, but for fantasy purposes, the arrangement is certainly more favorable to Boyle than Rasmussen. By continuing to work in bulk relief on the days he pitches, Boyle will be the Rays hurler most likely to factor into any decision. In addition to the increased win potential, Boyle looks like he could make a major impact for fantasy managers in the ratio categories. He's submitted a 1.85 ERA and 22.3 K-BB% over 73 innings at Durham this season, and he's maintained that dominance through his two appearances with the Rays thus far, turning in a 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through 10 frames.

Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested after Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins that he intends to use Rasmussen as an opener in front of bulk reliever Joe Boyle for at least a few more turns through the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After Rasmussen was used primarily in relief late in the 2024 campaign upon completing his recovery from a July 2023 internal brace procedure -- the third major elbow surgery of his career -- the Rays moved the right-hander back into the rotation on a full-time basis this season with the aim of limiting him to around 150 innings in 2025. Just over halfway into the campaign, Rasmussen has already compiled 89.1 innings, and despite the fact he's turned in a shiny 2.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP through 18 starts, the Rays will stick to their plan of managing his workload so that he can be available in some capacity through the rest of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs. The Rays took the first step in curtailing Rasmussen's workload Sunday, when he was lifted after allowing one run in two innings before Boyle took over to cover the next five frames. Cash didn't go into specifics regarding how long the Rasmussen/Boyle pairing might be used or if Rasmussen would remain capped at around two innings when he's deployed in a tandem, but the arrangement is undoubtedly a negative development for the 29-year-old from a fantasy standpoint. In addition to not being able to qualify for wins if he regularly pitches fewer than five innings in starts, Rasmussen's impact in the ratio categories would also become more muted with lighter innings counts.

Wenninger struck out a season-high 11 batters for Double-A Binghamton on Sunday, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks over six innings.

In the process, the 23-year-old right-hander crossed the 100-K threshold on the season, becoming the sixth pitcher in the minors this season to reach triple digits in strikeouts. Wenninger, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Illinois, has taken a big step forward this year in his first taste of Double-A, posting a 2.76 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 100:20 K:BB in 81.2 innings. Wenninger's best pitch is a nasty splitter, and he has a deep enough arsenal to profile as a rotation option once he's ready for the majors, even if he doesn't have the pure upside of other Mets prospects like Jonah Tong or Nolan McLean.

The Cardinals are having "internal discussion" about McGreevy replacing Erick Fedde in the rotation and starting Saturday against Atlanta, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Fedde has been pummeled for 17 runs over his last three starts and lasted only 1.1 frames in Sunday's loss to the Cubs. The team is expected to use its off day Monday to decide whether to let Fedde take his next turn Saturday or give that opportunity to McGreevy instead. McGreevy also started Sunday at Triple-A Memphis, so he is on the same schedule as Fedde, though he was torched for eight runs over three innings in Sunday's outing. In three starts and one relief appearance with the Cardinals in 2025, McGreevy holds a 4.22 ERA and 16:3 K:BB over 21.1 innings.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was noncommittal when asked Sunday whether Fedde would make his next start, which is tentatively set for Saturday versus Atlanta, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "I think we have to use [Monday] as a day we take a step back and figure out what that looks like," Marmol said, regarding his plans for the rotation.

Fedde was charged with three earned runs on two hits and four walks while recording only four outs in Sunday's loss to the Cubs. He's been clobbered for 17 earned runs with a 2:9 K:BB over 10 innings covering his last three starts. Michael McGreevy started Sunday at Triple-A Memphis and would likely be the replacement in the rotation for Fedde if the Cardinals decide to make a change.

Lopez (2-5) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out eight over 4.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Giants.

Lopez had a shaky first inning and gave up a run when Willy Adames drew a bases-loaded walk. Adames added a solo home run in the fourth inning, and Lopez found more trouble in the fifth before his exit. In between, however, he was nearly untouchable, striking out seven straight batters at one point. The southpaw has allowed eight runs (seven earned) over his last two starts, covering 7.2 innings with a 9:2 K:BB in that span. He's walked precisely one batter in seven of his last nine outings, but the overall results have been fairly mixed. For the season, he has a 4.26 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB through 50.2 innings over 13 appearances (nine starts). Lopez is lined up to make his next start at home versus the Blue Jays.

Hart (3-2) struck out two over 3.2 perfect innings of bulk relief to earn the win Sunday over the Rangers.

Hart was sharp following opener David Morgan, who gave up one run on four hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Hart had struggled in earlier stints in the majors, but this was a positive outing. He's now at a 5.83 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB across 29.1 innings over seven games. There's an open spot in the rotation even with Yu Darvish (elbow) set to make his season debut Monday, so Hart could stick around in the majors after replacing Stephen Kolek on the big-league roster.

Leiter (4-6) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 3.2 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Padres.

It wasn't an outright bad performance, but Leiter's pitch count got up early, and he was pulled at 85 pitches (54 strikes) after running into trouble in the fourth inning. He's fallen short of the five-inning mark in three of his last five starts while allowing 16 runs with a 21:10 K:BB over 23.1 innings in that span. Overall, Leiter has a 4.32 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 63:34 K:BB across 75 innings through 15 starts this season. The 25-year-old is projected to make his next start in Houston.

Boyd (9-3) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out nine over five shutout innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Boyd was at 87 pitches (60 strikes) after five frames, but the Cubs were ahead 11-0 at the time, so they had no need to push the starter for another inning. He's strung together eight starts allowing two runs or fewer, with his nine strikeouts Sunday representing a season high. Boyd has a 40:8 K:BB in that span and a 96:23 K:BB to go with a 2.52 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 103.2 innings over 18 starts this season. His next start is projected to be on the road versus the Yankees.

Fedde (3-9) allowed three runs on two hits and four walks while failing to record a strikeout over 1.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Cubs.

Fedde needed 53 pitches (26 strikes) to get the four outs. After giving up seven runs in each of his last two outings, it looks like Fedde was on a short leash for this one. He's also walked nine batters over his last 10 innings, and his BB/9 on the year is at 4.3 through 18 starts. Fedde will have trouble getting things back on track if he continues to issue such a high number of free passes. He's added a 4.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 57:45 K:BB across 94 innings this season. He's tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus Atlanta.