It hasn’t been the kind of season that the Tampa Bay Rays have become accustomed to in recent years. The team begins this week in last place of its division.
A playoff participant in each of the past five seasons, the shine is off the recently very successful ballclub. Pitching, a cornerstone of strong Tampa Bay Rays teams this decade, has suddenly become a question mark. The news is getting worse on that front.
Pete Fairbanks, who took over the closer role last year for a team that has traditionally used a committee approach to the position, has struggled in 2024. Now we may know the reason for his April travails. The 30-year-old was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with what the club has termed a “nerve-related issue.”
Tampa Bay Rays Scrambling for Arms
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A rash of injuries over 2023 and 2024 have decimated the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff. Shane Baz, Shane McClanahan, and Jeffrey Springs are all out as they recover from Tommy John surgery. Also missing are Taj Bradley (strained pectoral) and Drew Rasmussen (non-Tommy John elbow surgery). Fairbanks is just the latest casualty.
Fairbanks has dealt with numbness in his fingers on occasion over the past few seasons. The problem resurfaced over the weekend. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters:
“Felt like he had a little bit of a zinger in his hand just playing catch. Got treatment the entire day on Saturday. We were still optimistic that he was going to be good to go on Sunday, but it repeated itself Sunday before the game.”
It’s been a rough April for Fairbanks overall. The six-year MLB veteran is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA through eight appearances. He has allowed seven earned runs in as many innings pitched this season. It’s a far cry from the Fairbanks of 2023, who had 25 saves and a 2.58 ERA last season.
Fairbanks is undergoing a battery of tests in an attempt to find a diagnosis for his nerve issue. Doctors have been taking a deep look into both his right throwing shoulder and arm. As Cash told reporters:
“We’ll continue to kind of check boxes to see if we can narrow it down. Not sure where it’s going to go, but felt like it was time to rest and run some imaging from his neck to shoulder all the way down to the fingers to see if we can see anything.”
Tampa Bay Rays Going Back to Closer by Committee Approach
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While a look at the Tampa Bay Rays bullpen hierarchy would point to Jason Adam taking over as closer, Cash said he plans to take a matchup-based approach. In addition to Adam, Colin Poche, Shawn Armstrong, and Garrett Cleavinger all figured to see some save opportunities. Cleavinger earned his first major-league save in a 2-0 win at the New York Yankees on Sunday.
To fill Fairbanks’ spot on the staff, the Tampa Bay Rays called up reliever Kevin Kelly from Triple-A Durham. Kelly, who made his MLB debut last season, has a 6-2 record and a 3.09 ERA in 61 appearances. It is Kelly’s second call-up this season. He began the spring in Durham, but was recalled to the majors two weeks ago. However, he was sent back to the minors after beginning this season with a 7.71 ERA over four games.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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