LATEST NEWS

Sept. 4: INF Taylor Walls (groin soreness) day to day
Walls, who was sidelined with a left oblique strain for six weeks before being activated off the injured list on Friday, was out of the lineup for Monday's series opener against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field due to what manager Kevin Cash described as a little bit of groin soreness. Walls played the final two games of the club's weekend series at Cleveland -- 20 innings in total -- and Cash thought the soreness might have been a product of Walls playing on back-to-back days so quickly after his IL stint.

"I hope he makes some improvement and feels a little bit better," Cash added. "He's available, if needed, but [we] don't want to push him."

Sept. 3: RHP Jason Adam (strained left oblique) placed on IL; RHP Taj Bradley recalled from Triple-A
Adam wasn't available to pitch in Saturday's 7-6, 11-inning loss to the Guardians, and he was placed on the 15-day IL prior to Sunday's series finale at Progressive Field, with the assignment made retroactive to Aug. 31. Bradley has returned from Triple-A Durham to pitch Sunday afternoon and claim a spot in Tampa Bay's starting rotation.

Adam said the injury came about while he was warming up Tuesday in Miami. He still “felt a little off” after trying to play catch Wednesday afternoon, he said, so the Rays decided to give him a few more days to recover. He attempted to play catch again Saturday afternoon, but still felt some pain and underwent an MRI. The results of that imaging confirmed it is a minor strain, and early indications suggest that Adam won't be sidelined the rest of the season.

“It'll take, obviously, at least the length of the IL stint -- but my hope is not much longer than that,” Adam said. “The shorter, the better. But I feel very confident that I'll be back for the end of the season and for the playoffs.”

Bradley, the Rays' top prospect heading into the year, made 16 starts for the Rays earlier this season. Despite flashing electric stuff that produced 99 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings, Bradley posted a 5.67 ERA, including a 9.12 mark over his final six outings and returned to Triple-A. His return fills out a rotation that already includes Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Zack Littell as the Rays continue a stretch of 17 games in 17 days.

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INJURY UPDATES

10-day and 15-day IL

OF Manuel Margot (right elbow loose bodies)
Expected return: Mid-September
Margot is beginning to ramp up his activities following his Aug. 16 surgery to remove the loose bodies in his elbow. Manager Kevin Cash said Margot will hit in the batting cage on Sept. 5, then progress to live batting practice later in the week. The hope is that Margot will be cleared to begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Durham during the week of Sept. 11. (Last updated: Sept. 4)

RHP Jason Adam (left oblique strain)
Expected return: Mid-to-late September
Adam said the injury came about while he was warming up on Aug. 29 in Miami. He still “felt a little off” after trying to play catch the next day, he said, so the Rays decided to give him a few more days to recover. He attempted to play catch again on Sept. 2, but still felt some pain and underwent an MRI. The results of that imaging confirmed it is a minor strain, and early indications suggest that Adam won't be sidelined the rest of the season. He hopes to return around the time his IL stint, which was made retroactive to Aug. 31, ends. (Last updated: Sept. 3)

60-day IL

LHP Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Likely 2025
McClanahan underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21, his second time having the procedure. It was a huge blow to the Rays, as the ace left-hander is expected to miss the entire 2024 season. Manager Kevin Cash acknowledged beforehand it would be a "tough loss," but after McClanahan was evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister on Aug. 15, the club believes the surgery will give him his best chance at coming back strong. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

RHP Shane Baz (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: 2024
Baz, who underwent Tommy John surgery on Sept. 28 and will miss all of this season, has enjoyed a smooth rehabilitation process so far. He began playing catch near the end of March and was throwing on flat ground from 60 feet as of April 13, when he was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Baz has continued his throwing program, with an eye on getting into instructional league game action before enjoying as normal an offseason as possible. The young starter accompanied the Rays to his hometown of Houston to continue his rehab work during the club's three-game series against the Astros. (Last updated: July 28)

RHP Drew Rasmussen (right flexor strain)
Expected return: Midseason 2024
Rasmussen went on the IL a day after tossing seven scoreless innings on May 11 in the Rays' 8-2 victory at Yankee Stadium. Manager Kevin Cash announced on July 8 that Rasmussen was slated to undergo a hybrid internal brace procedure, which will sideline him the rest of this year and until the middle of the 2024 campaign. He had the procedure as scheduled on July 24. (Last updated: July 25)

LHP Garrett Cleavinger (right knee sprain)
Expected return: 2024
Cleavinger, who was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 12, was injured in the 10th inning of the Rays’ 8-7 win over the Yankees on May 7 after tumbling to the ground during a rundown along the third-base line. Cleavinger landed awkwardly and quickly gestured toward his knee in obvious pain.

Tampa Bay’s athletic training staff brought out a wheelchair to take him off the field, but the lefty declined the offer and attempted to throw a warmup pitch before walking into the dugout. He was diagnosed with a right ACL injury and underwent season-ending surgery on May 17 to repair his ACL and meniscus.

Cleavinger is expected to be ready for Spring Training next year. (Last updated: June 23)

LHP Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: 2024
When Springs exited his start on April 13 at Tropicana Field, the Rays initially announced his injury as ulnar neuritis in his left arm -- a nerve issue he described as feeling like “kind of a funny bone, kind of a shock, zinger kind of thing down the forearm” and hand.

Springs was evaluated by Rays team physician Dr. Koco Eaton, then received a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister and transferred to the 60-day IL on April 22. Springs underwent successful Tommy John surgery on April 24, which will keep him out until next season. (Last updated: April 24)

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