ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays slightly tweaked the composition of their postseason roster for the American League Championship Series on Monday, swapping out a left-handed reliever for a hard-throwing young righty.
The Rays are no longer carrying lefty Garrett Cleavinger, who did not pitch in the AL Division Series against the Yankees after coming off the injured list to make the roster. They added prospect Brody Hopkins, giving them another right-handed option in the bullpen with a triple-digit fastball and nasty breaking stuff.
Hopkins said he got the news from manager Kevin Cash after the Rays’ workout at Tropicana Field on Sunday.
“He was just like, ‘Hey, man, you’re going to be on this roster. Trust your stuff over the plate and handle your emotions,’” Hopkins said Monday afternoon. “And that was really all. He just said, ‘You ready to pitch?’ And I’m ready to pitch.”
Called up from Triple-A Durham in September, Hopkins (the Rays’ No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) gave up three runs on two hits and six walks while striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings over six appearances. Hopkins possessed some of the best stuff in the Minors as a starter, albeit with command issues, and it got even better when he moved into the bullpen.
The Rays were encouraged by what they saw from Hopkins during their recent intrasquad scrimmages, as he harnessed his electric stuff in the strike zone more often, and they’re essentially hoping to catch lightning in a bottle if he’s needed against the Guardians.
Hopkins said he had made peace with the idea that his season might have ended when he wasn’t put on Tampa Bay’s ALDS roster. Considering where he was in early August, sitting on the development list in Triple-A as he transitioned from the rotation to the bullpen, it could have been worse.
Now, he can’t imagine it being much better.
“Going from the dev list to the ALCS in two months, it's pretty crazy to think about,” Hopkins said. “I'm juiced and ready to go.”
That was the only change the Rays made to their 26-man roster between their ALDS sweep of the Yankees and their ALCS matchup against the Guardians, which begins with Game 1 on Monday night at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay’s roster for the third ALCS appearance in franchise history includes 14 position players and 12 pitchers.
Teams often gravitate toward a larger group of pitchers, more in line with their regular-season rosters, as the postseason transitions from shorter series to best-of-seven series like the ALCS, but the Rays stuck with a hitter-heavy group.
Of course, the Rays hardly even needed the 12 pitchers they carried in their three-game ALDS sweep; only eight of them pitched.
Here is the complete roster:
Pitchers (12): Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax, Ian Seymour, Bryan Baker, Tyler Wells, Kevin Kelly, Cam Booser, Brody Hopkins, Cole Sulser, Steven Matz
Catchers (2): Liam Hicks, Nick Fortes
Infielders: (6): Jonathan Aranda, Richie Palacios, Taylor Walls, Junior Caminero, Ben Williamson, Jorge Mateo
Outfielders (5): Chandler Simpson, Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr., Jonny DeLuca, Ryan Vilade
Designated hitter (1): Yandy Díaz