The Rays have been dealing with various injuries to their rotation this season, forcing them to do a bit of improvising.
Tyler Glasnow has been dealing with an oblique strain and has yet to make his season debut. Zach Eflin was placed on the injured list last week due to back tightness and it was reported this week that Jeffrey Springs is expected to require Tommy John surgery.
Those injuries have led to prospect Taj Bradley coming up to join the rotation and now right-hander Calvin Faucher will move in from the bullpen. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Faucher will start Friday’s game, with the plan being to stretch him out to four innings.
Faucher, 27, was a Twins draftee who came over to the Rays alongside Nelson Cruz in the deal that sent Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman to Minnesota. Faucher didn’t make any starts while a Twins’ prospect but has made a few since switching teams, though they’ve all been of the “opener” variety, none of them longer than three innings. He has 30 major league innings under his belt between last year and this one, registering a 5.10 ERA with a 19.6% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 41.2% ground ball rate.
It’s not an especially impressive line, but the Rays have had success turning overlooked relievers into useful starters in recent years. Drew Rasmussen was once a first round draft talent but his stock faded due to injuries and he wound up in Milwaukee’s bullpen before the Rays acquired him and gave him a starting opportunity that he ran with. Springs was a 30th round pick with a middling résumé but broke out with the Rays. He parlayed his breakout year into a four-year extension, though the aforementioned Tommy John has put a sour note on that story for now. Faucher has fared better in the minors, with a 2.98 ERA in 63 1/3 Triple-A innings.
Rasmussen, Bradley and Shane McClanahan have three rotation spots taken now, with Eflin likely to return this weekend to give them a fourth starter. The club is off Thursday but won’t have another off-day until May 15. They could continue using Faucher as a fifth starter if he fares well but could also use bullpen days with bulk guys like Josh Fleming and Yonny Chirinos to keep them going until Glasnow’s ready to return. He hasn’t started a rehab assignment yet but also hasn’t been placed on the 60-day IL, suggesting a return before the end of May is still on the table.
If Faucher can turn into a useful piece, it would help to somewhat salvage a rare trade dud from Tampa. Cruz struggled badly after the deal while Ryan has thrived since joining the Twins.
Some other notes from around the AL East.
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