CLEARWATER, Fla. -- On Nov. 10, the Rays claimed left-hander Tyler Alexander off waivers from the Tigers. About two months later, on Jan. 15, they signed right-hander Jacob Waguespack to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Alexander was four days removed from being taken off Detroit¡¯s 40-man roster. Waguespack had spent the past two seasons pitching in Japan. On Monday, both versatile veterans secured a spot on the Rays¡¯ Opening Day roster.

Alexander earned the final spot in Tampa Bay¡¯s rotation and will pitch Sunday against the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. Waguespack claimed the last spot in the bullpen, as the Rays optioned right-hander Kevin Kelly to Triple-A Durham.

¡°I do think they both deserve [it], with the way they performed this spring,¡± manager Kevin Cash said of Alexander and Waguespack.

As for the waiver claim and non-roster invitee¡¯s unlikely paths to the Opening Day pitching staff?

¡°Yeah,¡± Cash said, ¡°that's pretty Ray-ish.¡±

Both pitchers have done a little bit of everything in their careers. Alexander, 29, made 120 appearances for the Tigers from 2019-23, starting 43 games and finishing 17. He expressed an openness to pitching in any role, but the Rays stretched him out to start. His last outing was a six-inning start in a Minor League game on Sunday.

¡°I want to throw a lot of innings. I want to help the team win. I don¡¯t care what capacity it is,¡± Alexander said last week. ¡°As long as I¡¯m in the big leagues, I don¡¯t care what I¡¯m doing.¡±

Alexander will follow Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Zack Littell in the Rays¡¯ season-opening rotation, with Ryan Pepiot expected to start the fifth game of the season against the Rangers. Alexander¡¯s spot became available when starter Taj Bradley went down with a right pectoral strain that could keep him out until May.

Given his versatility, the Rays could use Alexander as a traditional starter or pitch him after an opener. Alexander is one of only three lefties on the Opening Day staff and the rotation¡¯s lone southpaw. Following a hard-throwing right-hander, for instance, would only make Alexander and his lower-velocity arsenal more difficult for hitters to handle.

¡°His command and execution is really, really good,¡± Cash said. ¡°He earned his way with the way he threw the ball for us.¡±

Waguespack, meanwhile, might have been one of the best stories in Rays camp this spring. The 30-year-old right-hander surprised the staff with increased velocity -- his fastball averaged 94.8 mph on Monday and touched 96.4 -- and took well to the advice he received from pitching coach Kyle Snyder and others.

¡°Super excited. Worked hard this offseason, worked hard this spring, and it's all paying off,¡± he said. ¡°I'm just excited for the opportunity and ready to compete for this team.¡±

The Rays believe Waguespack¡¯s multi-inning ability out of the bullpen could come in handy early on. They will play 13 games in 14 days, and 26 games in 28 days, beginning Thursday. He was also built up as a starter this spring, but he worked only two innings to start the Rays¡¯ 6-3 win over the Phillies on Monday at BayCare Ballpark, preparing him for the relief role he¡¯ll have to start the season.

¡°I like where my stuff's at right now, so it kind of just depends on what the team needs. I've always been that kind of player,¡± he said. ¡°Whether it's one inning or three innings, I'll give it my best.¡±

Those decisions essentially solidify the Rays¡¯ Opening Day roster from a pitching perspective, but they have two more things to figure out on the position player side that probably won¡¯t be settled until rosters are due at noon on Thursday.

The Rays haven¡¯t officially determined who will fill the bench spot that opened as a result of Jonathan Aranda¡¯s injury, nor have they named a backup catcher behind Ren¨¦ Pinto.

Austin Shenton is the top in-house candidate for the left-handed-hitting reserve role, and non-roster invitee Alex Jackson is the only other catcher left in camp. But the Rays could go outside the organization to fill either job, depending on who¡¯s available.

Cash praised Jackson, who homered off lefty Jos¨¦ Alvarado on Monday, for handling the uncertainty ¡°really, really well.¡± Jackson said he will approach the next few days ¡°the same way I¡¯ve approached the whole camp.¡±

¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. Nothing¡¯s happened. Just kind of keep going about what we¡¯ve been doing this whole camp,¡± Jackson said. ¡°You can either look at it [as uncertainty], or you can look at it as, you know what, I¡¯m here now, so we¡¯re going to do what we need to do today. That¡¯s kind of all that I¡¯m worried about right now.¡±