ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are adding some big-time velocity to their bullpen, as they called up pitching prospect Brody Hopkins from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.
The club optioned right-hander Alex Cook to Durham to make room for Hopkins on the active roster and designated righty Michael Grove for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Hopkins joined the Rays, who clinched a spot in the postseason on Friday night, ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Astros at Tropicana Field. He will wear No. 88.
Hopkins is the Rays’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and the club’s top-ranked pitching prospect. Initially acquired from Seattle as part of Tampa Bay’s return for Randy Arozarena in July 2024, Hopkins has long possessed some of the nastiest stuff in the Minors, though he’s had some issues staying in the strike zone.
“Excited for him. Look, since the transition to the bullpen, he's done a nice job of getting the ball in the strike zone a little bit more frequently,” manager Kevin Cash said. “It's big, big stuff, and [we’ll] see if we can just harness it as many times over the [plate] as possible.”
The ultra-athletic right-hander spent most of the season as a starter and put together a 5.40 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 87 walks in 85 innings over 22 outings from March 28-Aug. 6. He then made the move to a one-inning relief role, similar to fellow prospect Ty Johnson as he auditioned for a spot in the big league bullpen, and the results have been encouraging.
Now, Hopkins and Johnson are getting a chance to pitch in regular-season games with a lot at stake, which could lead to an opportunity to crack the club’s postseason roster. Hopkins’ electric arsenal, including triple-digit velocity otherwise absent in Tampa Bay’s bullpen, and Johnson’s swing-and-miss slider could be useful come October.
“When you go into postseason baseball, or with the baseball we're going to play today and moving forward, you try to catch lightning in a bottle a little bit,” Cash said. “I think that's fair to say for both of them.”
In nine innings over nine appearances since Aug. 15, Hopkins has allowed three runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out 16 of the 39 batters he’s faced. On Wednesday night, the 24-year-old touched 102.1 mph with his fastball during an appearance that showcased his high-octane stuff.
“If it’s in the strike zone, it’s really nasty stuff. I mean, he’s got balls sinking, cutting, and then I saw some highlights from his last outing [with] a really sharp breaking ball,” Cash said. “Big stuff, and we’ll see how he transitions to this level and see if we can get it in the strike zone.”