Rasmussen scratched to be with wife for birth of second child

ST. PETERSBURG -- As of Monday afternoon, Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen thought he would be able to make his scheduled start against the Cubs on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. But those plans changed, for a good reason.

Rasmussen’s wife, Stevie, is giving birth to their second child, a girl. The baby’s due date is Saturday, but head athletic trainer Joe Benge received word Tuesday morning that the Rasmussens were expecting the baby ahead of schedule.

Thus, Rasmussen was scratched from his starting assignment in favor of a bullpen game started by right-hander Mason Englert.

“Hope it all goes well,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Excited for him and Stevie, for sure.”

The Rays announced the change about four hours before their 6:40 p.m. ET game, although they did not immediately make a roster move.

If Rasmussen is placed on paternity leave, they can recall another pitcher -- presumably someone on the 40-man roster capable of handling multiple innings, like right-hander Jesse Scholtens -- to take his spot on the active roster.

Tampa Bay’s plan in Rasmussen’s absence was to lean on Englert for a few innings, with right-hander Yoendrys Gómez also prepared to pitch three or four innings, if needed. Either way, it was expected to be a bullpen day for the Rays.

“We'll be creative,” Cash said. “I know Ras was hoping to get through certainly today's start, but that didn't happen, so we'll adjust here on the fly.”

Rasmussen didn’t need Dad Strength to get off to a good start this season after his All-Star campaign in 2025. The right-hander put together a 1.80 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings over his first two starts. The Rays will wait for him to rejoin the club before figuring out when and how to slot him back into the rotation.