Tampa Bay

Rays

McClanahan gave up three hits to score two runs in both the first and third innings, and the Rays opted to pull him after four, even though he seemed to be throwing pretty well and was at just 74 pitches. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of 21 batters and generated 14 whiffs with a 34 percent CSW. He also walked only one. It’s a disappointing result, but not one that rates as discouraging. He’ll likely face the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Most likely, if a Rays first baseman/DH is going to make the All-Star team, it’ll be Yandy Díaz. Aranda, though, has a case; he’s tied for the 11th in the majors with his 48 RBI, and he’s 21st with his .377 OBP. Interestingly, he’s come in at .376 there against lefties, but all of his power has come versus righties; he’s slugging .503 against them and .329 versus lefties.

Boyle was dealing with an elbow injury in April and was activated off the injured list on May 18th, but was kept in Triple-A. He may still not be healthy because, since May 17th, he has allowed 23 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings with a 19/10 K/BB ratio. He has also been moved into the bullpen. It’s not looking good for him to have an impact with the Rays in 2026.

Fortes couldn’t quite muster a homer, with 406- and 399-foot flies both going for doubles, but it was still quite a day. It’s the second time in 454 major league games that he’s managed four hits and the seventh time that he’s scored three runs. He had seven hits in all in the series against Boston, raising his OPS from .585 to .664.

Rasmussen had just one previous 10-strikeout game, finishing with exactly 10 against the Yankees on Sept. 9, 2022. He got 20 missed swings and allowed just two hits and two hard-hit balls today. The Red Sox swung at 15 of the 23 four-seamers he threw and racked up eight whiffs without ever putting any of them in play. Rasmussen has pitched seven scoreless innings in three of his last four starts and is 6-2 with a 2.71 ERA on the season. He’ll face the Dodgers next week.

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.

Díaz already has four three-hit games this month. He leads the AL and is fourth in the majors with a .331 average. He’s fourth in both the AL and the majors with a .940 OPS.

Simpson returned on Tuesday after missing three days off and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. His lingering thumb injury may be why he’s being held out of the lineup on Wednesday, but the Red Sox are also throwing yet another left-handed pitcher. Austin Slater will make his third straight start in the outfield, and Ryan Vilade will make his fourth straight start, batting cleanup and playing left field.

Williamson put Tampa Bay ahead for good with a 103.4 mph double into the left-center field gap with two outs in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old has put together a strong Rays debut, hitting .263/.344/.328 with 18 RBI and five steals through 48 games. He doesn’t offer enough upside to matter in most fantasy leagues, but he’s been a nice addition as a role player in Tampa Bay.

Simpson looked a bit rusty following a three-game layoff due to a lingering thumb issue. The 25-year-old speedster managed to avoid a potential trip to the injured list and shouldn’t require any additional time off.