Rays appoint Rasmussen for his first Opening Day start

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- This time last year, there were questions about whether Drew Rasmussen could be a starter. The right-hander was coming back from his third major elbow surgery, and the Rays eased him back into action as a multi-inning reliever down the stretch in 2024.

How would he handle a full season in Tampa Bay’s rotation? Was it better for his long-term health and career outlook to stay in the bullpen?

Rasmussen made the decision to start and backed it up all season, answering all those questions at every turn. Last year he was an All-Star starter. This year he will be the Rays’ Opening Day starter.

“I think we're all very proud of him,” pitching coach Kyle Snyder said. “There's a lot of prestige surrounding being able to pitch the first game of the season. [He's] more than deserving, and I look forward to watching him take the mound for the first game.”

The Rays informed Rasmussen of his first career Opening Day assignment about a week ago, and manager Kevin Cash made it official before Thursday’s workout at Charlotte Sports Park.

“I'm really honored. It's really cool to get the opportunity to pitch on Opening Day,” Rasmussen said. “It truly is a blessing and it is humbling, and I'm excited for the opportunity.”

Rasmussen will start the Rays’ season opener against the Cardinals on March 26 at Busch Stadium, coincidentally the same place where he returned from an internal brace procedure on Aug. 7, 2024. At the time, Rasmussen compared the feeling of pitching on that “random Wednesday in August” with pitching on Opening Day.

Next month he’ll experience the real thing in St. Louis. He didn't make the connection between the two events until Wednesday morning, but he appreciates the significance behind it.

“It is really cool that, hey, I came back from the IL there, and now getting the opportunity to start Opening Day there is full circle, for sure,” he said.

Starting the first game in St. Louis should also allow Rasmussen to pitch the series finale in Milwaukee on April 1, another full-circle moment for the former Brewer.

The Rays have not officially set their rotation beyond Rasmussen. The group is expected to include returning ace Shane McClanahan, right-handers Ryan Pepiot and Nick Martinez, and lefty Steven Matz.

As impressive and inspirational as Rasmussen’s story is, he earned the Opening Day nod with his performance last season. He posted a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 127 strikeouts and only 37 walks in 31 starts, going wire-to-wire in Tampa Bay’s rotation for the first time in his career.

That made the decision a “pretty easy call,” Cash said. It was apparently so obvious that president of baseball operations Erik Neander texted Cash and Snyder -- without even discussing who would get the nod -- “I’m good whenever you guys want to tell Drew that he’s starting on Opening Day.”

“It's a great story, but when you look beyond the story of everything he's gone through, he was an All-Star last year,” Cash said. “Wasn't a ton of discussion.”

Rasmussen’s performance was right in line with his career norms, as he has produced a sub-3.00 ERA and sub 1.10 WHIP in each of his four seasons with the Rays since they acquired him from the Brewers for shortstop Willy Adames. The difference was one of quantity, not quality.

Rasmussen finished last season with a career-high 150 innings pitched, exactly the threshold the Rays set for him last Spring Training. Although there will always be concerns about his health, given the pair of Tommy John surgeries he underwent before the internal brace procedure, he is expected to increase his workload this year.

Rasmussen started throwing this winter earlier than he did last offseason. He faced hitters before he reported to Charlotte Sports Park and threw two “innings” of batting practice on Wednesday. He likely won’t top five innings or 100 pitches in the first month of the season, but a more realistic expectation if he stays healthy this year could be 170 innings.

He’s clearly not content with his performance, either, as he’s adding a “kick” changeup to his powerful arsenal, which already includes three fastballs (four-seam, two-seam, cutter), a sweeper and a curveball.

“I think there's a lot of question marks, still. I think that'll probably be a recurring theme over the remainder of my career," he said. "But after the season last year, and being able to achieve everything we wanted to achieve last year, I think we're looking to expand on that this year. It's a new season. There's new goals, and I think that's what we're gonna try to keep at the forefront of our minds right now.”