Garrett

Cleavinger

Cleavinger missed the final three weeks of the regular season with forearm tightness. The Rays then activated him for the ALDS but never used him against the Yankees, and they replaced him with Hopkins for the ALCS. Now those two are swapping spots again. If Cleavinger pitches in the World Series, it’ll be his first appearance in seven weeks. In theory, he could be pretty helpful alongside fellow lefties Ian Seymour and Cam Booser, both of whom have carried big workloads thus far.

The Rays prospect allowed three runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings with a 7/6 K/BB ratio after being promoted from the minor leagues. Hopkins is a high-upside prospect with plenty of strikeout upside, but it’s likely the Rays will keep him in low-leverage innings in his playoff debut. He will replace Garrett Cleavinger on the roster.

Both finished the regular season on the IL with forearm tightness, but they’re ready to go now, giving the Rays their preferred setup duo in front of Bryan Baker. Casey Legumina was left off the roster to make room.

No word yet on how long the 32-year-old southpaw will be shelved so, but with the regular season winding down, he may not have enough time to make it back before the playoffs begin. Ty Johnson was promoted from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move to take his place in the Rays’ bullpen.

Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly had the day off after pitching both Monday and Tuesday. Cleavinger got the ninth as a result. He gave up a solo homer to Caleb Durbin, but he had a three-run cushion to work with. He has a 4.70 ERA and eight holds over 17 appearances in his setup role.

With Bryan Baker having thrown on back-to-back days, the Rays turned to Cole Sulser to protect a one-run lead on Tuesday, and he did without allowing a baserunner to pick up his second save of the season. What’s interesting here is that Garrett Cleavinger hadn’t thrown since Saturday, and the Blue Jays started the inning with a left-handed hitter and a switch-hitter. Perhaps they’re not ready for Cleavinger to step back into late-inning situations so soon after returning from the IL, or maybe Sulser has simply leapfrogged him in the peaking order, but the 36-year-old Sulser appears to be next in line behind Baker for saves.

Cleavinger returns to Tampa Bay’s high-leverage mix after missing five weeks at the outset of the season recovering from a calf strain. The 32-year-old southpaw figures to operate in a setup capacity behind closer Bryan Baker, but could wind up vulturing the occasional save in certain matchups.

Cleavinger only threw five pitches in this outing, all strikes, but it also marked his second night of back-to-back appearances. That was allegedly the final hurdle he needed to clear before rejoining the Rays’ bullpen, so that could happen as early as this weekend.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Cleavinger will make a couple additional rehab appearances for Triple-A Durham before rejoining Tampa Bay’s high-leverage mix. The 32-year-old lefty has been on the shelf since early April recovering from a right calf strain

The left-hander threw just 10 of his 20 pitches for strikes and was lifted before being able to finish the inning. His velocity was good, with his four-seam fastball sitting 95.8 mph, so this is simply about shaking off the rust. He should return to high leverage innings shortly after returning to Tampa Bay.