Jax will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
With Ryan Pepiot unavailable for his scheduled start Wednesday due to fatigue, the Rays will turn to Jax to lead off what's expected to be a bullpen game. The 30-year-old right-hander has given up eight earned runs in just 12 innings since being acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline and isn't expected to pitch past the first inning during what will be his second opening assignment in seven days.
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Rays' Griffin Jax: Opening Friday's game
Rotowire
Jax will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jax has worked primarily in high-leverage spots all season, and that has continued since he joined the Rays at the trade deadline. However, he's struggled to a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 10 innings with Tampa Bay, so working as an opener could prove to be a bit of a reset for the right-hander. Jax will likely only work an inning or two before giving way to Ian Seymour, who is expected to work in bulk relief.
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Rays' Griffin Jax: Pulled from save opportunity
Rotowire
Jax didn't factor into the decision during Tuesday's 6-5 win over Seattle, allowing one run on two walks and one hit without recording an out.
Jax took the mound in the ninth inning of a two-run game, but he was removed in favor of Garrett Cleavinger after yielding two walks and a single without logging an out. Cleavinger held on for the save, but one of Jax's inherited runners came in to score. It's unclear why regular closer Pete Fairbanks didn't pitch Tuesday, as Fairbanks had pitched once in the last three days and remains a reliable ninth-inning option.
Jax (1-6) allowed three earned runs on three hits while striking out one across one inning to take the loss Friday against the Mariners.
This marked Jax's fourth appearance since he was dealt to the Rays, and the second in which he's allowed at least one earned run. He entered the game in the eighth inning with a two-run lead but allowed a pair of singles before serving up a three-run home run to Cal Raleigh. Jax now has an inflated 4.93 ERA on the season, but his 76:15 K:BB in 49.1 innings is indicative of how dominant he's been for long stretches of the campaign.
The Rays acquired Jax from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for Taj Bradley, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jax briefly appeared poised to step in as Minnesota's closer after Jhoan Duran was dealt on Wednesday, but the Twins instead fully committed to being deadline sellers. Jax had been operating has a setup man and is likely to fill the same role in Tampa Bay, though closer Pete Fairbanks' 5.79 ERA in his past nine outings could provide a path to saves.
Twins' Griffin Jax: Dominant after early struggles
Rotowire
Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning with a walk in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Rays. He has a 3.86 ERA with 18 holds in 37.1 innings this season.
It was a rare appearance for Jax without a strikeout, as he has an eye-popping 61:9 K:BB and 39.1 percent strikeout rate. After early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him briefly demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax has a 1.84 ERA since April 22 and has been the primary set-up man to closer Jhoan Duran. Unlike previous seasons, manager Rocco Baldelli has mostly kept Duran in the ninth inning instead of deploying him in higher-leverage spots earlier in the game, limiting Jax's save opportunities.
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