PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays received relatively good news about injured reliever Edwin Uceta on Friday, but there is still a chance he’s not ready for Opening Day.
Uceta received a cortisone injection in his “cranky” right shoulder after visiting Dr. Koco Eaton on Friday. He will rest for two days before resuming strength exercises, then he’ll attempt to play catch again next weekend, manager Kevin Cash said.
Cash said Uceta’s visit to Dr. Eaton revealed “a little impingement” and inflammation, but the Rays don’t seem overly concerned about it being a long-term concern.
“Other than hearing there's no issue at all, this is the best case,” Cash said.
Uceta agreed with that assessment, calling it “relatively good news.”
“It's nothing super serious, just a little bit of inflammation,” Uceta said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “Overall, feeling good.”
Relievers don’t need as much time to get ready for the season as starting pitchers do, so there is a chance Uceta could be ready for Opening Day if everything goes well in his recovery and return to throwing. It’s not a sure thing, however, that he will be good to go in the bullpen in St. Louis on March 26.
Uceta declined to comment on his potential availability for Opening Day, noting that he will “see how things go” and “take my time with everything.”
“It's probably cutting it close, just the way we build guys up, but I'm not going to say,” Cash said. “It is too early to definitively say.”
Uceta removed himself from the Dominican Republic roster for the World Baseball Classic last Sunday due to his shoulder issue, which he reported after arriving for Spring Training.
The right-hander went through a normal offseason, throwing bullpen sessions with no issues, then took nearly a week off to attend his arbitration hearing in Arizona last month. He returned home and resumed throwing, at which point he said he began to feel “a little bit uncomfortable.”
He was still able to play catch at Charlotte Sports Park, but it became enough of an issue to bring it up. The Rays shut him down for a few days, then he felt the soreness return as he increased the distances of his throws while playing catch on Thursday. That prompted an MRI and a visit to Dr. Eaton on Friday.
Uceta is expected to play a significant role in Tampa Bay’s bullpen this season, joining fellow high-leverage relievers Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Bryan Baker in the late-inning mix. The Rays will have plenty of competition in camp to fill out the remaining four spots in their bullpen -- or potentially five, if Uceta needs more time to prepare for the season.
Game notes
The Rays lost their Grapefruit League opener to the Braves, 5-1, on Saturday at Charlotte Sports Park, but the afternoon was not without its highlights.
Junior Caminero went 2-for-3 with a pair of hard-hit singles (114.1 mph and 111.7 mph), and his third-inning groundout was productive in a different way. He was told to approach that at-bat as if there was a runner on third and less than two outs, one way the Rays practice situational hitting in Spring Training, so that outcome would have scored a run.
“I feel comfortable. I feel amazing,” Caminero said. “I tried to [make] my mentality say, ‘Hey, go play, have fun, compete.’”
Cash was impressed by Rays No. 25 prospect T.J. Nichols, who got the start with his parents in attendance. Nichols gave up a home run to Mike Yastrzemski but struck out Jonah Heim with a 97 mph fastball.
“You can understand why we're so high on him,” Cash said. “Really good stuff.”
Camp notes
• Infield prospect Brayden Taylor, the Rays’ first-round pick in the 2023 Draft, broke his left thumb during bunting practice on Friday, when he took a ball from a pitching machine off it. Cash said the injury will be an issue of pain tolerance and playing through discomfort for Taylor, the former top prospect who’s coming off a frustrating season in Double-A.
“You feel for him. I called him yesterday afterwards, just because I know the year that he had,” Cash said. “You want him to come in and have a good camp, and he'll get back out there. We’ll get some ABs for him.
• Starter Steven Matz and Cleavinger threw live batting practice on Field 4 on Saturday morning. Matz worked two simulated innings and continued to impress his new coaches, while Cleavinger pitched one inning.
• Cash began his morning media session by offering condolences regarding the passing of Joey Knight, the longtime Tampa Bay Times sports reporter who spent most of his career covering local high schools and Florida colleges. Knight passed away Friday, at the age of 57, after a brave battle with cancer.
“He did a hell of a job as a writer,” Cash said. “Certainly thinking of his family and everybody at the Times.”