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 -- There is no such thing as a bad big league callup story.

Every time a Minor Leaguer becomes a Major Leaguer, it’s a moment of triumph. It’s a moment that provides players the opportunity to reflect on their journey and the optimism to believe anything’s possible.

For young prospects, it feels like the beginning of something special. For players who’ve grinded through Minor League bus rides for years on end, it’s more like a promise fulfilled. For all of them, it’s a dream come true.

The stories are occasionally hilarious and often heartwarming, and we just witnessed two of them the past two days at Tropicana Field.

On Wednesday night came Taj Bradley, bursting with all the upside and charm you’d expect out of a 22-year-old top prospect. On Thursday morning came 28-year-old reliever Braden Bristo, as reflective and emotional as he was impressive on the mound.

Bradley pitched five innings Wednesday to earn a win. Bristo worked three hitless innings Thursday to pick up a save.

Both helped extend the Rays’ historic season-opening (and franchise-record) winning streak. Neither was long for the active roster. Both left with smiles on their faces and stories to tell.

Bradley was born three years after the Devil Rays played their first game and 19 days after Wander Franco. He’s only made 14 starts for Triple-A Durham, including two this season. He’s not a finished product, but he’s been a top prospect for a few years now and currently ranks atop the Rays’ Top 30 list.

This moment felt inevitable, but the timing was a surprise.

“It happens when you least expect it,” Bradley said.

Durham had an early game on Tuesday, so Bradley was at the field at 7 a.m. He was charged with charting the game and serving as something of an assistant pitching coach. The Bulls lost, 6-4, and Triple-A manager Michael Johns sternly called for a team meeting postgame.

“So you're thinking like, 'OK, he's gonna get at us,’” Bradley said. “I guess that was just all part of his M.O., his delivery. So he's like, 'But it's always good to tell somebody they're getting the call-up.’ 

“He just started listing off, like, ‘He was drafted in 2018.’ I was like, ‘That's me!... He's like, ‘He was a 17-year-old when he got drafted.’ Like, 'That's me, too, man! Two out of two, man! We're looking pretty good here.' Well, he used to throw 90-92. And I was like, 'I did that! Everything you're saying is me, man. Is it me?'” 

Then the moment came. As Bradley remembers it, Johns said, “Taj Bradley, you’re going to pitch tomorrow in the big leagues.” He was stunned. 

“The only reason I got up is because everybody came to shake my hand and everything like that,” he said. “The emotions didn't kick until I called my mom. She got emotional. I got emotional.” 

Then came the business. Bradley had about an hour to pack a suitcase and take an Uber to the airport. He arrived at his gate with about five minutes to spare. He’d been told to book a first-class ticket, but a gate attendant informed him they were out of first-class seats. He took his ticket anyway and boarded with the first group, thinking he’d find his seat near the front.  

He was mistaken. 

“I'm in the back, by the toilets,” Bradley said, laughing. “Even then, I got a window seat with no windows.” 

He’s back with Durham now, but he’ll be back eventually -- maybe in a first-class seat, even.

On Wednesday, Bristo was at his apartment when Johns texted asking when he'd be at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Bristo arrived 15 minutes later, reported to the manager’s office and got the news much more directly, per his recollection: “Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat anything. You’re on a flight to St. Petersburg tonight.” 

“I kind of went numb a little bit after that,” Bristo said. “Just a dream come true, really. It was kind of before everybody got there to the field, so it was just a few people around, and I packed my bags and got out of there.” 

Bristo was picked by the Yankees in the 23rd round of the 2016 Draft out of Louisiana Tech University. He worked his way up the system, but spent the last two full seasons with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. He thought he might get the call a few times in 2021, then blamed himself for not doing “a better job kicking the door down.”  

He signed a Minor League deal with the Rays in the offseason, seeking an opportunity to get better and take the last step. He took that step Thursday, replacing Bradley on the Rays’ roster and bringing a fresh arm to the bullpen.  

His wife, Morgan, was back home in Lafayette, La., taking care of their 8-month-old daughter, Eva, and working (as a CRNA). As he put it: “Somebody had to make some money this last eight years.”

She was there to see him become a big leaguer Thursday. 

“We're high school sweethearts, and we've been in this thing for eight years now, so I was really happy to tell her,” Bristo said Thursday morning. “She cried. I cried. I'm trying not to cry now, thinking about it.” 

And how did he feel after getting the final nine outs of the 13-0 Rays’ 9-3 victory over the Red Sox? 

“As good as I could have ever hoped for,” Bristo said.