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The Rays have extended Hopkins an invitation to big-league camp in spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Hopkins was excellent at Double-A Montgomery this past season, collecting a 2.72 ERA and 141:60 K:BB over 116 innings. He has some of the best stuff of any pitching prospect in baseball and could become a legitimate ace if he's able to throw enough strikes. Hopkins isn't going to break camp with the big club, but there's a good chance he will debut at some point in 2026.
Hopkins has a 3.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 99:44 K:BB in 81.1 innings through 18 starts for Double-A Montgomery.
Hopkins, a big 6-foot-4 righty with power stuff, is not a finished product, but he flashes frontline upside when he's on. He sits in the mid-90s (touches 99 mph) with his plus fastball and has a wipeout 70-grade slider in the 86-88 mph range. His changeup, cutter and control all lag behind, although he has given up more than one run just twice in his last nine starts.
