KANSAS CITY -- Right-hander Shane Baz is on the verge of joining the Rays¡¯ starting rotation, and that¡¯s a development leading manager Kevin Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder to be brimming with excitement.

The Rays feel Baz is ready to take his place in a rotation that has been on a nice roll since June 19. During that span, the starters have recorded a 2.50 ERA, the second-lowest mark among any MLB starting rotation in that time frame.

Enter Baz, who has been building his case at Triple-A Durham with a 1.57 ERA through five starts in June. He is scheduled to start Friday when the Rays open a weekend series at Texas.

To that end, the Rays traded veteran right-hander Aaron Civale earlier this week and opened up a rotation spot for Baz while also deepening the farm system with the acquisition of infielder Gregory Barrios.

¡°Shane was a big part of our future and then the [Tommy John surgery] kind of derailed him,¡± Cash said. ¡°The talent is definitely there. It¡¯s a big power fastball and he¡¯s got a four-pitch mix. I think he¡¯s still working his way back into Major League form, but what he did his last three or four outings in Durham was really encouraging.¡±

Baz hasn¡¯t pitched in the Majors since 2022 but has made 10 starts in the Minors this season.

¡°His talent is undeniable and it¡¯s just a matter of continuing that progression,¡± Snyder said. ¡°The progress he has made over the past month really stood out. It¡¯s time for him to show what he¡¯s capable of up here. We¡¯re going to be mindful of his pitch totals, the stress, recognizing that he¡¯s on his way back from Tommy John.¡±

Snyder said Baz was reaching 98 to 99 mph at times in his last start at Durham and averaging 96.5 mph.

¡°He¡¯s a 25-year-old kid with as much upside as probably any young right-handed starter,¡± Snyder added. ¡°We¡¯re very confident in what Shane can provide us and what he can be.¡±