With role flexibility, Boyle aims to show his value in wide-open Rays bullpen

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The more things change, the more they stay the same.

While there may be different faces, different last names on lockers, different arms and repertoires, the Rays will utilize their bullpen more than most teams. Historically, that’s been the case, and in 2026, things shouldn’t be much different, at least to start the year.

Especially noteworthy at the beginning of this season is that Rays pitchers taking the ball in inning one are arms either still getting acclimated to a starter’s workload or coming off an injury.

Opening Day starter Drew Rasmussen is in his second season back as a starter. Shane McClanahan is coming off of his second surgery in as many years. Steven Matz is returning to the rotation for the first time since 2023.

Fortunately, and probably unsurprisingly, the Rays possess a comfortable amount of depth in the form of Joe Boyle, Ian Seymour, Jesse Scholtens, Mason Englert and Yoendrys Gómez, among others.

Manager Kevin Cash said the aforementioned group is all eligible for some long-relief spots in the early months.

“As much as we try and monitor and take care of the guys, watch the workload early on, you’ve got to have some guys that can get you more than three outs -- get you six outs in a pinch, get you nine outs,” Cash said. “Talking to them a week ago, we kind of gave them that message, they seem totally on board.”

Boyle took to the mound for the first time this spring in a 12-1 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, tossing two innings of one-hit ball while striking out two. Cash said he and Boyle have been working on speeding up his delivery to keep baserunners honest.

“Controlling the running game was a part of [the message] -- and not just him, a lot of us got exposed and are being more mindful of that,” Cash said.

“With Joe, I think what we’ve found is, sometimes the quicker to the plate, the more in sync the delivery is. He’s not losing any velocity, power or shape to the pitches.”

With a fastball velocity in the MLB’s 96th percentile, the ability to touch 100 mph often, and the addition of a more dramatic slider, Boyle is ready to take on any role. He spent time last year between Tampa and Triple-A Durham. In 13 games (nine starts) with the Rays, the 6-foot-8 righty logged a 4.67 ERA over 52 innings, striking out 58.

“I’ll do whatever they need me to do,” Boyle said. “I can throw multiple innings as a starter and can do that role out of the 'pen.”

As for the group of contenders for those long-relief spots, Cash said, “The thought is here, up until mid-March, we’re going to build them up a little bit, let’s see where we get to that three-inning mark and then reassess where we’re at depending on need, injuries and performance.”

Cash remarking he liked the way last year’s group rebounded after some midseason blues, before finishing the year strong.

“That gives us a lot of optimism and belief that they are going to be good,” Cash said. “I think it was wild how it played out. We were in a bunch of tight games, and it was one inning that caught us.”

With the injury to Edwin Uceta, the Rays are without a “true” closer at the moment, which is nothing new for Cash and his staff.

“I like to mix and match, but sometimes, you just got to let some things play out and see how it evolves,” Cash said. “I think we’re going to need all hands on deck to get through this early part if he does miss time. Nothing is defined. I feel like we’ve done it without a closer in the past and it’s worked for us, we’ve done it with a closer and it’s really worked.”

Guys like Bryan Baker, Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax, Uceta, Kevin Kelly and Hunter Bigge are all perennial fits to secure a win for the Rays based on matchups.

“I don’t think there’s many [of those relief pitchers] surprised to be pitching the ninth,” Cash said.

In 2021, the Rays set the then-record for the highest number of players to record a save for a single team in a season with 14. In 2024, the Rays had 13 relievers record a save. In 2022, five pitchers recorded at least five saves, which was the first time that’s been done since the Expos in ‘91, and hasn’t been replicated since.

“It was cool for all of them,” Cash said of the '22 relief corps. “They kind of came together as a group. You could tell they took pride in, ‘We don’t know exactly when we’re going to pitch. We can kind of try and manage the game.' … They embraced [it].”