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.

Late last week, Rays manager Kevin Cash was asked to assess where his team stood -- the highs, lows and challenges they’ve experienced -- with more than a quarter of the season in the books.

The short version? The Rays have to be pleased with their overall pitching and, for the most part, defense. They need more consistent offensive production, and they can’t keep running into outs on the bases. But overall, considering it still feels like they haven’t really hit their stride as a team, second place in the rugged American League East isn’t a bad place to be.

“A lot to like,” Cash said. “We found some things with [Drew Rasmussen] and [Jeffrey Springs] on the starting side. Offensively, I don’t know if we’ve quite gotten on the same page -- everybody one through nine, that normally doesn’t happen -- but like the way we’ve picked each other up. Our defense has been good at times. … [Would] like to see our baserunning continue to improve.

“The challenges, they’re the same challenges every year -- that we’re in a very tough, balanced division where you’ve got to play good baseball for a long period of time.”

For now, let’s look back on the second month of the season and highlight the Rays’ best performances. Note: All statistics referenced here are through the May 29 series finale against the Yankees.

Player of the month
There’s a fine case for Randy Arozarena, who hit .309 with an .874 OPS to go along with four homers and 15 RBIs in his first 25 games of the month. But the pick here is Manuel Margot, even though he spent 10 days (eight games) on the injured list with a strained right hamstring. That’s how good Margot has been this month and, frankly, how much many of the Rays’ key hitters -- especially Wander Franco -- have struggled.

Margot had at least one hit in each of the first 15 games he played in May, batting .451/.482/.745 with three homers and 16 RBIs during the Rays’ longest hitting streak since Austin Meadows’ 16-gamer from Sept. 1-18, 2019. (Margot’s career-long streak ended with an 0-for-3 on Sunday.) He had a huge series in Oakland early in the month, officially became “Manny Mar-go-ahead” during the Rays’ West Coast trip and earned AL Player of the Week honors as a result. And he’s still a great defensive outfielder and a hugely positive influence in the clubhouse.

Pitcher of the month
This was a tough competition, considering the way Rasmussen and Springs have pitched lately. But once again the winner is obvious, and it’s the same result as April: Shane McClanahan enjoyed another dominant month and clearly established himself as one of the AL’s best starters.

The Rays won each of the lefty’s five starts this month, and he went 4-0 while recording a 1.15 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and only five walks in 31 1/3 innings. He cruised through some starts, like his outing against the Marlins, then showed Sunday against the Yankees he can make big pitches in tough situations. Every time he takes the mound, he seems to take a step forward in some aspect of his game.

You would be hard-pressed to find another pitcher with the combination of McClanahan’s raw talent, his deep (and consistent) arsenal, the strike-throwing ability that’s allowing him to pitch deeper into games and his desire to improve. Enjoy what he’s doing right now, and don’t take it for granted. It’s special.

Reliever of the month
Another crowded field. Colin Poche has been really good, notching two saves with a 1.46 ERA in his first 13 outings of the month. And Jason Adam would easily take this one home most months after logging a 0.71 ERA and 0.55 WHIP with 18 strikeouts, two walks and his first career save in 12 2/3 innings over 13 outings.

But you just can’t argue against the guy with a 0.00 ERA heading into Memorial Day, and that’s why J.P. Feyereisen gets the nod for the second straight month. Feyereisen finally gave up a run, albeit an unearned one, in Baltimore on May 22. But here are his season stats through Sunday’s series finale, when he picked up his first save of the season in a five-pitch ninth inning: 20 appearances, 23 innings, five hits (all singles), one unearned run, four walks, 25 strikeouts, 0.39 WHIP, 1.48 FIP. You could say those are “video-game numbers,” sure, because he’s pitching like someone turned the game’s difficulty slider all the way down.

“He's in a really good spot,” Cash said. “Whether it's the changeup or the breaking ball fading away or fastball riding through the zone, he's got three pitches that are probably pitching at an all-time high for him right now.”