ARLINGTON -- For a second consecutive day, the Rays have shelved a pitcher with what they hope is mere “September forearm.”
Lefty Garrett Cleavinger was placed on the 15-day IL Saturday with left forearm tightness. The club called up right-hander Ty Johnson from Triple-A Durham for his Major League debut.
The move comes a day after left-hander Shane McClanahan was put on the IL with his own left forearm tightness.
“He's been going through it here a little bit, dealing with forearm tightness, ‘September forearm,’ whatever you want to call it,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Cleavinger. “So we’ll shut him down for a couple days, and then take it step by step from there.”
Cleavinger has struggled of late, giving up 10 runs in his last 8 2/3 innings since Aug. 1. He pitched Friday in the Rays’ 7-6 victory over the Rangers, giving up two runs on two hits, one walk, and one home run. He left the game without recording an out. On Tuesday against the Mets, he gave up a run on three walks in one-third of an inning.
“I haven't really been myself for a lot of the year,” Cleavinger said, noting a “calf thing” earlier in the season. “Had a pretty good stretch there in the middle and then I’ve just been dealing with a little bit of arm irritation, I guess. I was able to manage it for a while and then these last couple outings kind of affected me a little bit more.
“It wasn't really getting much better and started to affect the way that I was throwing. And I think that's kind of evident in my last couple outings, which sucks. We’ll take the time now and see if we can get it figured out and be good to go after that.”
Johnson, the Rays’ No. 10 prospect, is making a homecoming of sorts. He was born in nearby Rockwall, Texas, though he doesn’t remember a thing about it. His family moved when he was 2 years old. Johnson was raised in Indianapolis and attended Ball State.
He has been good in Durham, going 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 21 appearances (10 starts). The 24-year-old right-hander has struck out 84 batters in 62 1/3 innings while allowing just 35 hits and 25 walks. He was especially dominant in August after moving into a relief role, posting a 0.79 ERA with 19 strikeouts and only two hits allowed over 11 1/3 innings.
Johnson’s role will be to fortify the bullpen, which also lost Manuel Rodríguez to the 15-day IL because of a back strain.
“I’m very grateful,” Johnson said. “It's been a crazy year for me and I'm excited to help the team in any fashion I can. I feel like I'm ready. It's an exciting time for me and my family.”
Johnson’s move from a starter to the bullpen has been a topic of discussion for some time.
“They thought it was a better path for me as a reliever,” Johnson said. “So I was like, ‘Whatever you guys need.’ I had no complaints with it. I'm excited. That's what you live for is to face the best.”
Johnson said his father, fiancée and her parents are in Arlington for Saturday’s game in the event he makes his big league debut. An uncle and a cousin are also here. Missing is his mother, who was with Johnson’s older sister, whose bridal shower was this weekend.
“I'm excited that he's here,” Cash said. “We've been talking about him for a couple weeks now. So we’ll try to get him comfortable and see if he can get some big outs for us.”