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.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The All-Star Game is tonight, but we’re already looking toward the second half of the season and pondering one question: Who will be the Rays’ most important players down the stretch? There are plenty of options, but here are five who stand out the most.

LHP Shane McClanahan
He’s a legitimate American League Cy Young Award candidate. Is that not enough? Fine, there are two other things to monitor, too. One is his workload, which will approach career-high territory soon; don’t be surprised if the Rays are careful with him, potentially cutting starts shorter than you might expect so he’s still fresh in October. Because that’s the other point: If the Rays reach the postseason, they have an ace who can go up against anyone and give them a certain chance to win. You only need a few of those and a deep bullpen to go far, as they showed in the 2020 postseason.

2B Brandon Lowe
Pretty good return from the injured list: 6-for-8 with two doubles, a walk and four runs scored. It was only two games, but he looked so much more comfortable than he did before his back injury. That’s great news for the Rays, because when he’s hot, he can carry their lineup. If they can get him and Randy Arozarena hot at the same time, along with the stability offered by Yandy Díaz and Ji-Man Choi, and maybe late-season returns from Wander Franco and Manuel Margot, it’s a much more imposing lineup.

OF Josh Lowe
The Rays essentially cleared a spot for Lowe by trading Austin Meadows, and he wound up back in Triple-A in May. His first couple weeks back weren’t great, either. But he’s shown some signs of progress lately, looking more comfortable at the plate while going 11-for-39 with six doubles and a homer over his last 11 games. He’s going to play a lot, if only because Harold Ramírez is about to join Margot and Kevin Kiermaier on the injured list, so it’d be a boon for their lineup if he rounds into form.

RHP Luis Patiño
Patiño didn’t blow anyone away in his first start back last Friday, but his return is significant. The Rays were expecting big things from him after last season, but injuries limited him to four innings in the first half. If he can harness his stuff and take some of the strides McClanahan has over the past year, he’ll add another big-time arm to the rotation. His available innings are important, too, at a time other members of the staff will bump up to previously unfamiliar totals.

RHP Pete Fairbanks
Jason Adam, Colin Poche and Brooks Raley, among others, have done a nice job in high-leverage spots this season. But getting back a healthy version of the flame-throwing Fairbanks on Sunday is a huge addition, as he can pick up some of those late-inning situations and lighten others’ workloads. Getting back some combination of JT Chargois, Nick Anderson and J.P. Feyereisen wouldn’t hurt, either.