This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- First it was Drew Rasmussen. Jeffrey Springs was next. Then came Zack Littell. Now, the Rays are at it again with Griffin Jax.
In five starts since an intriguing “opener” assignment against the Twins on April 26, Jax has put together a 1.42 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 19 innings.
The Rays are still being careful with his pitch count, but the right-hander is built up enough to make a starting staff already featuring Shane McClanahan, Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and Steven Matz that much more interesting.
“He’s been really good for us,” manager Kevin Cash said after Jax held the Orioles to one run in five innings Tuesday night. “Feels like he's found a niche here.”
If this story feels familiar, it should. Jax is not the first pitcher to make a successful in-season transition out of the Rays' bullpen to become a productive part of their rotation.
Rasmussen did it in 2021, Springs in ’22 and Littell in ’23. Jax is cut from the same cloth as that trio: a former starting pitching prospect who moved to the bullpen, got traded to the Rays and had the pitch mix, strike-throwing ability and durability to build up his workload and become a starting option at a time when injuries sent Tampa Bay in search of rotation help.
“I felt like this was the right place to do this because of the success this team has had,” Jax said recently. “Kyle Snyder is the best pitching coach in the Major Leagues. So, when the conversation got brought up, it was a pretty easy decision for me.”
What has made this a successful transition? Let’s consider a few factors.
1. Shared history
Even with the Rays’ blueprint in place, Jax had to be on board and willing to revisit his past life in the rotation.
Jax was a starter at the Air Force Academy, in the Minors and as a Twins rookie in 2021. But he’d been hesitant to try it again, in part, because he said he came to accept his bullpen role by viewing himself as a “failed starter.”
Clearly, others were not so convinced. Including the Rays.
Before last year’s Trade Deadline, when the Rays acquired him for starter Taj Bradley, Jax said he heard other teams viewed him as a potential starter. He’d had the same conversation in Minnesota. He figured it was just a matter of time.
But after the deal, he preferred to remain in the bullpen and get comfortable with a new organization to finish the season. They talked about it again in the offseason, but he chose to stay in his high-leverage relief role -- especially after being asked to join Team USA’s bullpen in the World Baseball Classic.
But Jax worried he’d someday wonder “what if?” and maybe even regret passing on the opportunity. So when the idea was raised again last month, he was ready.
“I just thought, like, ‘You know, this has been brought up now for the third straight year. It almost feels like it's a sign,’” Jax said. “So I just felt like it was the right time, and obviously the right place, to do it.”
2. A clear need
The Rays’ rotation has been a strength this season, but they have dealt with injuries.
Ryan Pepiot is out for the season following right hip surgery. His replacement, Joe Boyle, was briefly sidelined by right elbow inflammation. Matz missed two weeks due to a left elbow issue. Jesse Scholtens stepped up in a big way, but the confluence of injuries opened the door for Jax.
Compounding matters, he was struggling as a high-leverage reliever, with an 8.00 ERA, two losses and two blown saves in his first 11 appearances. Before making the move, Jax said, he wanted to check something with Snyder: “Would this even have been brought up if things were going the way everybody expected them to go?”
Snyder confirmed it wasn’t a move made out of desperation, but rather because of their belief in Jax.
“They said, ‘Yeah, we've always viewed you as somebody that could do this, and we wanted you to make that decision,’” Jax said.
3. The right stuff
To navigate a balanced lineup multiple times, starters typically need a deeper arsenal than most relievers possess. Fortunately, Jax is not most relievers. He has a six-pitch mix.
As a reliever, he had to refine his arsenal to get three outs as efficiently as possible. He was mostly throwing fastballs, sweepers and changeups.
Now, he has more time to tinker with pitches between starts, rather than just shelving stuff that doesn’t feel right on a given day. He’s opened it up to incorporate his curveball more and reintroduce a cutter against left-handed hitters.
For Jax, the opportunity to “pitch a little bit more freely,” as he put it, was another appeal of starting. And another reason why it’s working.
“I think that was a lot of the thought with Kyle and Griff, that this is going to be an opportunity to utilize all the pitches,” Cash said. “Everything kind of complements everything. It just goes in different directions as it's coming into the strike zone.”