DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Rays have had, for the most part, a remarkably healthy Spring Training so far. After seeing their rotation dinged and their lineup decimated by injuries last spring, they¡¯ve only dealt with a handful of bumps and bruises on their projected Opening Day roster over the past month.
But they were dealt one blow over the past week, as reliever Alex Faedo is expected to start the season on the injured list due to a right shoulder injury. Manager Kevin Cash said Faedo had an MRI that didn¡¯t reveal anything ¡°too alarming,¡± but he will be shut down from throwing for a brief period.
Acquired from the Tigers shortly before Spring Training began, Faedo was competing for a job in the Rays¡¯ Opening Day bullpen. The Tampa native seemed to be the favorite for the final spot considering his ability to pitch multiple innings, his track record in the Majors and the fact that he¡¯s out of Minor League options.
With Faedo out of the running to break camp with the team, the Rays will likely choose from a pool of candidates that includes hard-throwing Hunter Bigge, offseason trade acquisitions Eric Orze and Mason Englert, Rule 5 Draft pick Mike Vasil and non-roster invitee Connor Seabold.
¡°There was competition with him in the mix. Now, he¡¯s just a little out of the mix,¡± Cash said. ¡°We¡¯ve got one or two decisions here to make over this last week.¡±
Assuming the Rays carry all six of their top starters in some capacity, there will be room for seven relievers on the Opening Day roster. Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta, Manuel Rodr¨ªguez, Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger and Mason Montgomery appear to be locks. Cash said they would like the final arm to be someone capable of recording at least two innings.
Bigge has experience pitching multiple innings in the Minors, and he pitched two innings against the Braves on March 10. Orze worked at least two innings in 13 of his Triple-A outings last season, and he has been a standout in camp with his out-pitch splitter. Englert pitched in a multi-inning relief role for the Tigers the past two years, and he has also impressed Tampa Bay¡¯s staff in his first camp with the team.
Vasil, who would have to be offered back to the Mets if he doesn¡¯t make the Opening Day roster, has pitched almost exclusively as a starter in the Minors. But his potential flexibility was one of the traits the Rays appreciated when they selected him in the Rule 5 Draft. Seabold, in camp on a non-roster deal, would likely land in Triple-A Durham¡¯s rotation if he¡¯s not in the Majors to start the season.
Faedo, 29, put together a 3.61 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings over 37 appearances for the Tigers last season. The former first-round pick out of the University of Florida struggled with injuries as a starter before finding a fit in Detroit¡¯s bullpen last season, but he finished last year on the 60-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain he sustained in August.
Game report
? Taj Bradley had a regular-season type of workload on Thursday, putting him in good position to start the season after his final Grapefruit League outing.
Bradley threw 101 pitches over 5 1/3 innings at TD Ballpark, giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out four. The right-hander, pitching on his 24th birthday, was pleased with the quality of his stuff and the volume of his workload.
¡°I feel good,¡± he said. ¡°Felt good about it, just to get that extra pitch count up for when the season starts.¡±
? Left fielder Christopher Morel picked up a hit on a bloop single, but his outs might have been even more encouraging. His first-inning lineout came with an exit velocity of 110.1 mph, according to Statcast, and he just missed a home run in the fourth on a 106 mph fly ball to left field.
¡°His swings had more intent, some more confidence behind them,¡± Cash said. ¡°He smoked two balls, just missed a homer, got the bloop base hit -- that's how baseball works -- but I think he's feeling a little bit better about himself in the box right now.¡±
? It was a tough game overall for the Rays, as they recorded half as many errors (three) as hits (six) and had two players caught stealing.
¡°Pretty quiet, and our defense wasn't very sharp today,¡± Cash said. ¡°We'll continue to work on it. We lost, 4-1. It felt like we lost, 14-1.¡±