ST. PETERSBURG -- Michael Grove’s last appearance in a Major League uniform came 630 days ago, wearing a Dodgers uniform, when he recorded one out to finish the eighth inning of a lopsided loss to the Padres in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
The next day, Grove was removed from the Dodgers’ NLDS roster. The next spring, he underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn labrum. Eight months later, he was squeezed off the Dodgers’ roster and let loose into free agency.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in his recovery and forced to find a new home, Grove wasn’t always so sure he’d make it back.
Then the Rays came calling, setting in motion the sequence of events that led Grove to the mound on Saturday night at Tropicana Field. The right-hander kept his emotions in check and delivered the outs Tampa Bay needed, breezing through three innings while striking out four batters in the Rays’ fourth straight win, a 4-2 decision over the D-backs.
“Honestly, kind of throughout the entire outing, I found myself getting a little emotional at times,” Grove said afterward. “But I'm happy to get that one out of the way and keep going forward.”
The win improved the Rays’ record to 47-33, putting them percentage points ahead of the 48-34 Yankees (.588 to .585) for the best record in the American League, and first place in the AL East for the first time since June 12.
Grove earned his first Major League win since June 7, 2024, after retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced. He allowed just one hit, finished each of his strikeouts with sliders and needed only 34 pitches (26 strikes) to complete his longest big league outing in more than two years.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said he gave the relievers a “heads up” in Friday’s pre-series meeting that Saturday would be a traditional bullpen game, as the Rays pushed back Shane McClanahan’s scheduled start to manage the left-hander’s innings.
They were clearly up to the challenge.
“I think it's a responsibility that we take on as a whole,” closer Bryan Baker said. “Going into a bullpen day, you try not to treat it too differently, but it is kind of cool to seal the win as just bullpen guys -- and rub it in the starters' faces for the next couple days.”
Right-hander Cole Sulser worked the first two innings. Grove got the Rays through the fifth. Casey Legumina picked up five outs. Kevin Kelly finished the seventh and handled the eighth. Then Baker, accompanied by a lights-out (literally) closer’s introduction featuring “Levels” by Avicii, did his thing in the ninth to record his 21st save, tied with Mason Miller for second-most in the Majors.
Their final line: nine innings, seven hits, eight strikeouts and no walks.
“It’s like you don't have time to not be in rhythm. Get in the game, get in rhythm, get the strikes going,” Cash said. “The bullpen did a tremendous job.”
As did the top of the lineup.
Junior Caminero launched his fifth homer in the last three games in the first inning. He’s gone deep six times in his last five games, joining Carlos Peña as the only players to do so in franchise history. He’s also homered in the first inning three games in a row, which no Ray had ever done.
After Yandy Díaz walked with two outs in the fifth, Jonathan Aranda broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run shot, giving him 57 RBIs on the year.
At this point, the Rays have come to expect big things from their “Big Three.” But Cash and Baker admitted they didn’t know what to expect from Grove, the 29-year-old right-hander who was 7-7 with a 5.48 ERA for the Dodgers from 2022-24.
Grove signed a Major League deal with the Rays in April (he liked everything he’d heard about their pitching development, but it was also convenient: Grove moved to Tampa in 2023). He went on the 60-day injured list to finish his recovery, then mostly pitched in two-inning bursts during a Minor League rehab assignment. He remained in Triple-A after completing his rehab until the Rays summoned him on Thursday to replace injured left-hander Steven Matz.
It was the call Grove had been waiting for, the one he wasn’t sure would ever come again.
His stay was short, as he was optioned back to Triple-A Durham on Sunday morning so the Rays could bring in a fresh arm in right-hander Trevor Martin. But Grove got to share his return with his wife, Macy, his high school baseball coach and everyone else he thought of sitting in the dugout when he was done pitching.
All that, a win and a game ball to remember it by?
“Cherry on top,” Grove said, smiling.