TAMPA -- Amid a 13-game homestand with no days off, the Rays are taking a look at one of their Spring Training standouts.
Tampa Bay recalled hard-throwing right-hander Joe Boyle from Triple-A Durham on Sunday morning to make a spot start against Atlanta opposite Chris Sale in the series finale at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The Rays had tentatively planned this type of move as a way to give Boyle a shot in the Majors and give their other starters an extra day of rest during a nearly two-week stretch without a day off. They pushed back starter Shane Baz, who had been slated to pitch Sunday, to the series opener against the Red Sox on Monday.
"I want to manage the workload and innings for all the starters," manager Kevin Cash said prior to Sunday's game. "Certainly Joe is included in that, but he had a really good showing in Spring Training. We feel really good about him coming up and making his start and giving us a chance to win."
Tampa Bay optioned reliever Cole Sulser to Triple-A Durham to make room for Boyle on the active roster. Sulser pitched the ninth inning of the Rays¡¯ 5-4 loss to the Braves on Saturday, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk.
The Rays acquired Boyle in December as part of the five-player trade that sent starter Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics, but they optioned him to Triple-A during Spring Training.
In two starts for Durham, the 25-year-old gave up two runs on five hits and six walks while striking out 10 over eight innings. He last pitched on Sunday, when he threw 79 pitches and induced 12 whiffs on 33 swings against Sugar Land.
That outing was fairly indicative of Boyle¡¯s high-end stuff. His fastball averaged 98 mph, according to Statcast, and topped out at 99.1. His slider sat at 90.9 mph, and his splinker clocked in at 91.8 mph.
The Rays were simply wowed by Boyle¡¯s stuff throughout his first camp with the team, and they became more impressed with his improved ability to throw strikes -- the knock against him throughout his career to this point. In five Grapefruit League outings, Boyle posted a 3.52 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 10 walks in 15 1/3 innings.
"We were all very impressed with how committed he was to making himself a more complete pitcher," Cash said of Boyle. "I think that the relationship that him and [pitching coach Kyle Snyder] started and will continue to evolve was really good, to hit the ground running."
In 16 outings with the A¡¯s from 2023-24, Boyle recorded a 5.23 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP while averaging 10 strikeouts and 6.4 walks per nine innings. He came to the Rays as an MLB-ready product, having already pitched at the highest level, but their rotation depth -- even after losing ace Shane McClanahan to a nerve-related left triceps issue -- allowed them to send Boyle to Triple-A to start the season.
But now, he¡¯s getting a shot in the big leagues to show what he can do.
"How well he pitched in Spring Training was definitely something that we took account of," Snyder said of Boyle. "We thought this would be a good opportunity for him."