ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays appear to be moving one important arm out of their bullpen, as right-hander Griffin Jax continued his transition into the rotation with a start against the Giants, but they brought back another important late-inning reliever on Saturday.
The Rays reinstated left-hander Garrett Cleavinger from the 15-day injured list ahead of Saturday night’s 5-1 win over the Giants at Tropicana Field. Cleavinger had been sidelined by right calf tightness since March 31, and he spent the past two weeks on a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham.
“I missed it. Missed the guys. Missed being at the Trop,” said Cleavinger, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning in his return. “Good to be back, and good to be home.”
To make room for Cleavinger on the active roster, the Rays designated right-hander Yoendrys Gómez for assignment. Gómez, who is out of Minor League options, posted a 6.23 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP with one save, 13 strikeouts and 10 walks in 17 1/3 innings over nine appearances after making the Rays’ Opening Day roster.
Cleavinger is the Rays’ top left-handed option in the bullpen, and his numbers over parts of five seasons with Tampa Bay illustrate why. The 32-year-old has put together a 3.03 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP with 195 strikeouts in 154 1/3 innings over 166 appearances since the Rays acquired him from the Dodgers on Aug. 1, 2022.
Cleavinger had an unusual Spring Training, as he left camp to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic but only pitched in one game. He pitched in three of the first four regular-season games before the calf issue presented itself, so the Rays were thrilled to get him back on Saturday.
“It means a lot,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We'll welcome him back, because he's been such a big part of our bullpen for multiple seasons now.”
Cleavinger said his calf issue “lingered for a little while,” but he’s felt fine for the past week. Considering his spring workload, the Rays gave him a little more time to rehab with Durham.
He gave up three runs and walked three in his first game, hit a batter and walked another while recording just two outs in his second outing, then reeled off four straight scoreless appearances, including back-to-back outings on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The first couple were a little rough, but I hadn't thrown at that point in probably two, three weeks. So it was a good bit of time off,” he said. “But I think there was steady progression and starting to see what my norm is, so that's good.”
When the Rays reported for Spring Training, they envisioned a bullpen featuring four relievers who would handle the bulk of the high-leverage work: Jax, Cleavinger, Edwin Uceta and Bryan Baker. Uceta has been injured all spring, Jax is getting a look as an extended opener/starter, Cleavinger made only three appearances before getting hurt, and Baker has unexpectedly become a fairly traditional closer.
The relief corps got off to a shaky start, but it has seemingly turned a corner lately. The bullpen posted a 1.46 ERA in eight games from April 22 through Friday night and entered Saturday with a 3.56 ERA since April 4, fourth best in the Majors.
“The boys have been throwing the ball really, really well. Super proud of them and what they're doing,” Cleavinger said. “Everyone, to a man, is kind of stepping up and doing what they do best. Hopefully I can slide into that and help out a little bit.”