The Rays activated Van Belle (elbow) from the 60-day injured list and designated him for assignment Thursday.
Van Belle suffered a UCL sprain in September, and it's unclear if the injury will be addressed via rest and rehab or surgery. Regardless, the 29-year-old will be placed on waivers. He appeared in four games with Tampa Bay in 2025, marking his first MLB action.
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Rays' Brian Van Belle: Dealing with UCL sprain
Rotowire
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Van Belle's right elbow injury is believed to be a UCL sprain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Before he was transferred to the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Van Belle was initially placed on the 15-day IL on Saturday due to elbow inflammation. A recent MRI has revealed a sprain, and Van Belle now faces the possibility of requiring the second Tommy John surgery of his career. According to Cash, Van Belle plans to consult with Dr. Keith Meister over the next 3-to-4 weeks before a decision is made regarding whether he'll treat the injury through rest and rehab or undergo Tommy John surgery or another type of elbow procedure. Acquired from the Reds ahead of the trade deadline, Van Belle received his first call-up to the Rays on Aug. 22 and made four multi-inning relief appearances before landing on the shelf.
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Rays' Brian Van Belle: Will undergo MRI
Rotowire
Van Belle will undergo an MRI on his injured right elbow Saturday night, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
According to Topkin, Van Belle is still experiencing pain and discomfort in his right elbow after throwing 37 pitches in Friday's loss to the Guardians. Van Belle said while he didn't feel a pop in his elbow Friday, he didn't feel comfortable throwing his fastball or sweeper. He's since been placed on the 15-day injured list, and the Rays are calling the injury right elbow inflammation for now.
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Rays' Brian Van Belle: Placed on IL
Rotowire
The Rays placed Van Belle on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to right elbow inflammation, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Van Belle allowed two runs on four hits across two innings of relief in Friday's loss to the Guardians. He threw 37 pitches and faced 10 batters. The 29-year-old right-hander has appeared in four games out of the bullpen for the Rays this season, logging a 5.40 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 6:0 K:BB across 8.1 innings.
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Rays' Brian Van Belle: Promoted Friday
Rotowire
The Rays recalled Van Belle from Triple-A Durham on Friday.
Van Belle will receive his first look in the majors after being acquired from the Reds in the Zack Littell trade last month. The 29-year-old is taking the roster spot of Joe Boyle, who had been working out of the rotation for Tampa Bay and started Thursday versus St. Louis. Van Belle should be a candidate to fill that spot given his 3.17 ERA across 105 innings at Triple-A this year, but the Rays have yet to announce their updated pitching plans. Van Belle will likely be available out of the bullpen for the at least the next few days since the rotation opening won't come back up until next week in Cleveland.
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Rays' Brian Van Belle: Traded to Rays
Rotowire
The Reds traded Van Belle to the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for Zack Littell, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
The Reds acquired Van Belle in a trade with Boston in mid-June, but he'll now be rerouted to Tampa Bay without ever making an appearance for the big-league club. The 28-year-old right-hander owns a 3.32 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 81.1 innings between the Red Sox's and Reds' Triple-A affiliates, and he'll likely head to Triple-A Durham now that he's with the Rays.
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Red Sox's Brian Van Belle: Contract selected
Rotowire
The Red Sox selected Van Belle's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Monday.
Van Belle has collected a 2.29 ERA and 41:7 K:BB over 51 innings covering eight starts and four relief appearances this season at Worcester. The 28-year-old will give the bullpen some length and will be making his major-league debut when/if he gets into a game.
