Rays transfer Pepiot to 60-day IL after setback, sign ex-Dodger Grove
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CHICAGO — The Rays made a pair of surprising roster moves on Tuesday afternoon to kick off their six-game road trip.
The team announced it had moved right-hander Ryan Pepiot from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, clearing a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Michael Grove. The Rays signed Grove to a Major League contract and placed him on the 15-day IL as he recovers from right labrum surgery he underwent last March.
Pepiot suffered right hip inflammation near the end of Spring Training and started the year on the 15-day IL. He had thrown a 25-pitch bullpen session on Sunday, but he “felt it a little bit [on Monday],” manager Kevin Cash said before the series opener against the White Sox at Rate Field.
Pepiot was expected to be part of the Rays’ Opening Day rotation and was lined up to start the fourth game of the season before landing on the IL before the Grapefruit League finale.
The downtime, coupled with the recovery, meant the Rays thought the move to the 60-day IL made sense.
“I actually think he’s doing better but felt he wanted to get another opinion. He did, got an injection, and we’re going to shut him down for four or five days, let that heal up and then get a ball in his hands,” Cash said. “Likely just the buildup of a starter workload [means] it’s going to take a little bit of time.”
Grove has posted a 5.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 64 games (20 starts) across three seasons with the Dodgers. Cash said the right-hander is “probably three weeks away from facing live hitters, and then we’ll go from there.”
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The 2018 second-round Draft pick had a 5.12 ERA in 2024 and was removed from the National League Division Series roster because of a shoulder injury. He threw in Spring Training last season with the Dodgers before being shut down and eventually undergoing the season-ending operation.
Grove increased his slider usage in each of his past three seasons in the Majors, jumping from 20.1% in 2022 to 53.1% in ‘24, when opponents hit .204 against it.
“This has all happened fast, but [he’s] a guy that’s got parts of three years in the big leagues, has had some success,” Cash said. “We’re going to work really hard to get him going.”