TAMPA BAY RAYS NEWS

Marcus Johnson - Activated, assigned to High-A Johnson (elbow) was assigned to High-A Bowling Green on Tuesday after being reinstated from Single-A Charleston's 60-day injured list. He debuted for Bowling Green on Wednesday, st...

Impact Johnson had been sidelined for the first three-plus months of the season while recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow before he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League during the All-Star break. Over his three rehab outings in the FCL, Johnson struck out four batters across 4.2 scoreless innings.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Pete Fairbanks - Slams door for save Fairbanks struck out two batters in a perfect inning and earned a save against the Astros on Sunday.

Impact Fairbanks made quick work of Houston's 4-5-6 hitters, needing just 11 pitches to close out the 1-0 victory. He's riding a five-inning scoreless streak and is now 21 for 23 in save chances this season. He's converted 11 starts opportunities since his last blown save June 20. Fairbanks is sporting a 2.95 ERA with a 37:16 K:BB through 39.2 innings.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Tyler Alexander - Claims win in bulk relief Alexander (5-3) was the pitcher of record in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Astros, striking out five batters in 4.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen while giving up two hits and on...

Impact After piggybacking starter Jeffrey Springs in the lefty's 2024 debut with the Rays in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Marlins, Alexander operated as more of a bulk reliever Sunday, with opening pitcher Hunter Bigge exiting the contest after retiring two of the five batters he faced. Alexander came on to strike out Jon Singleton to close out of the bottom of the first inning with the bases loaded, then cruised through the next four frames before departing with a 1-0 lead. Alexander should remain the Rays' de facto No. 5 starter until Ryan Pepiot (knee) is ready to return from the 15-day injured list.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Brandon Lowe, five pitchers lead Rays to 1-0 win over Astros Brandon Lowe produced a run-scoring double in the top of the third inning, and five pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Tampa Ba...

AUGUST 4 • KANSASCITY.COM

Brandon Lowe, five pitchers lead Rays to 1-0 win over Astros Brandon Lowe produced a run-scoring double in the top of the third inning, and five pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Tampa Ba...

AUGUST 4 • SUNHERALD.COM

Tyler Alexander and 4 other Rays pitchers toss 3-hitter in 1-0 win over Astros

Tyler Alexander combined with four other Rays pitchers on a three-hitter, Brandon Lowe hit an RBI double in the third inning, and Tampa Bay beat the Houston Astros 1-0

AUGUST 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rays' bullpen holds down 11th straight rubber match win HOUSTON -- The Rays’ bullpen has taken on a different look over the past month. Veteran right-hander Phil Maton was dealt to the Mets in ear...

AUGUST 4 • MLB.COM

Rays team up for a narrow win over Astros, take another series There is some concern that Yandy Diaz left the game with a left wrist issue though the team said initial X-rays were negative.

AUGUST 4 • TAMPABAY.COM

Yandy Díaz - Dealing with bruised wrist Diaz had X-rays come back negative and was diagnosed with a bruised left wrist after exiting Sunday's game against the Astros, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Impact The first baseman initially attempted to stay in the game after being struck by a 109.8-mph grounder off the bat of Yordan Alvarez but was ultimately removed from the contest. Diaz went 1-for-2 with a walk before leaving the game. He avoided a fracture and should be considered day-to-day heading into Tuesday's series opener at St. Louis.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros Game Story, Scores/Highlights - 08/04/2024 This browser does not support the video element.

AUGUST 4 • MLB.COM

Jonny DeLuca - Heading to bench Sunday DeLuca is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Impact The right-handed-hitter DeLuca had started in each of the Rays' last three games -- including two matchups with right-handers -- but he'll take a seat Sunday as the Astros send righty Spencer Arrighetti to the hill. While his path to seeing regular playing time in the outfield is clearer now in the aftermath of the trade deadline, DeLuca hasn't yet locked down a full-time role. He has helped his case, however, by going 7-for-27 (.259 average) with three extra-base hits and a steal over his last seven starts.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

José Caballero - Not in Sunday's lineup Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Houston.

Impact Caballero started the previous four games but will head to the bench Sunday after going 2-for-16 with two doubles, a walk and nine strikeouts during that stretch. Curtis Mead will start at first base and bat third in the series finale versus the Astros.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Christopher Morel - On bench Sunday Morel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Impact Morel homered in his first two games after being acquired by Tampa Bay, but he'll sit Sunday after going 0-for-5 with three walks and four strikeouts in his past two contests. Josh Lowe will serve as the designated hitter in the series finale at Houston while Dylan Carlson starts in right field.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Ryan Pepiot - Sim game coming Pepiot (knee) is scheduled to throw a three-inning simulated game as the next step in his recovery, MLB.com reports.

Impact The Rays didn't give an exact date for when Pepiot will throw the sim game, though he's had two and three days of rest between his most recent bullpen sessions. After his next session, the club will decide whether Pepiot is ready to be activated, or if he will require a rehab assignment.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Shane McClanahan - Throws off mound McClanahan (elbow) threw from a mound Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Impact This was the first time McClanahan threw from a mound since he underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2023. He threw 10 fastballs and is expected to progress to full bullpen sessions next. McClanahan is still very likely to miss all of the 2024 season.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Drew Rasmussen - Nearing return Rasmussen (elbow) is getting close to his return from the injured list, MLB.com reports.

Impact Rasmussen made his fifth rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Saturday and completed two innings while allowing two runs. Despite allowing seven earned runs across his last 3.1 frames, the Rays are expected to activate him in the coming week. Rasmussen is set to work out of the bullpen.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Lowe looks to power Rays over Astros If the Tampa Bay Rays are to make a push toward the postseason, they’ll need the contributions of Josh Lowe.Hampered by injuries and inconsi...

AUGUST 4 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Hunter Bigge - Opening Sunday's game Bigge will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's game in Houston, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact After being acquired from the Cubs last Sunday as part of the three-player deal that sent Isaac Paredes to Chicago, Bigge was added to the Rays' 26-man active roster two days later. He made his team debut out of the bullpen in Friday's 3-2 loss to Houston, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning. He's now given up just one earned run while striking out seven over his first 5.1 big-league innings, and he was dominant at the Triple-A level before that, accruing an 0.68 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB in 13.1 innings for the Cubs' affiliate in Iowa. Sunday will mark Bigge's first career start, but he's unlikely to cover more than inning or two before turning to game over to lefty Tyler Alexander, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Rays play the Astros after Lowe's 4-hit game

The Tampa Bay Rays play the Houston Astros after Josh Lowe had four hits on Saturday in a 6-1 win over the Astros

AUGUST 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Taylor Walls - Picks up steal in win Walls went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Impact Walls recorded just his fifth hit in his last 16 games, batting .122 in that span. Despite the struggles with getting on base, he's logged three steals during his slump, in part thanks to drawing eight walks over those contests. He's posted a punchless .156/.277/.193 slash line with no home runs, six steals, four RBI and 12 runs scored over 130 plate appearances this year. He appears to still be the Rays' preferred shortstop despite adding nothing with the bat and also being a poor fielder -- per Statcast, he has recorded a -4 mark in outs above average in his first year exclusively at the position.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Brandon Lowe - Tallies three hits, two RBI Lowe went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Impact Lowe has four multi-hit efforts over his last eight games, going 13-for-29 (.448) with a home run, five doubles and seven RBI in that span. The infielder hit .325 in July and is continuing his strong play into August. For the season, he's up to a .264/.353/.510 slash line with 12 homers, 37 RBI, 32 runs scored and two stolen bases over 238 plate appearances.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Yandy Díaz - Knocks 10th homer Diaz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Impact Diaz is 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers and four RBI over seven games since he returned from attending to a personal matter. The first baseman has reached double-digit homers in four of the last six years, but he's well off the pace that saw him swat 22 long balls last season. Through 101 contests in 2024, Diaz has a .276/.331/.410 slash line, 10 homers, 50 RBI, 40 runs scored, 23 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Lowe - Starring role in win Lowe went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and three RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Impact Lowe entered the game with just five homers on the year, and none of them had come since his two-homer game June 21 versus the Pirates. He repeated the feat Saturday, hitting a two-run blast in the fifth inning and a solo shot in the seventh. While he hasn't displayed much power recently, he has gone 16-for-48 (.333) with eight RBI and three stolen bases across his last 14 contests. For the year, he has a .239/.299/.418 slash line, seven long balls, 10 steals, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored and 12 doubles over 201 plate appearances.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Zack Littell - Earns fifth win Littell (5-7) allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out three over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Astros on Saturday.

Impact Littell allowed the opening run of the game, a Jon Singleton solo home run in the first inning. The Rays were able to bounce back on offense while Littell was sharp the rest of the way to collect consecutive wins for the first time this season. The right-hander has allowed just one run on seven hits and two walks over his last 12.2 innings. For the season, he's pitched to a 4.06 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 108:23 K:BB over 119.2 innings through 22 starts. Littell is projected to make his next start at home versus the Orioles.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE