Parents attending Patiño's Rays debut

Luis Patiño made his Major League debut for the Padres last season, but Sunday afternoon figures to be just as special for the 21-year-old right-hander.

Patiño is set to take the mound at Tropicana Field for his Rays debut, starting the series finale against Toronto ahead of left-hander Josh Fleming. It will be Tampa Bay’s first look at Patiño, the headliner of the club’s return from San Diego in the Blake Snell trade, and his first chance to pitch in the Majors with his parents in the stands.

“I feel good, and I'm very happy to be up in this level again, obviously with the new team,” he said. “I've been down at the alternate site working and training and preparing for this opportunity.”

Patiño said his parents are flying in from Colombia to watch him, an opportunity they did not have last year when he made 11 appearances (including one start) for the Padres. It will be their first time seeing him pitch professionally in person since the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. He credited his sister for convincing his parents to make the trip.

“Mentally it's good to know that people are going to be around, family are going to be around, and I'm prepared to just go out there and do something special,” Patiño said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I'm ready to go.”

The Rays added Patiño, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in their system and No. 16 overall according to MLB Pipeline, to their taxi squad on Saturday amid another flurry of roster moves. After a 5-3 win over the Blue Jays, Tampa Bay made room for Patiño by optioning right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. to the alternate training site in Port Charlotte, Fla.

High-leverage reliever Diego Castillo returned from the COVID-19-related injured list on Saturday afternoon, feeling fully healthy after a day of vaccine-related soreness and fatigue. Right-hander Chris Mazza was placed on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation a day after throwing the final three innings of the Rays’ 5-3 loss. And catcher Deivy Grullón, who had been at the club’s alternate training site, was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Castillo’s return.

With the Rays' pitching staff beset by injuries, manager Kevin Cash said they are “probably going to find ways now to be a little bit creative, try to give different looks” to opposing lineups. In past years, the Rays have primarily done that with a deep bullpen. Right now, the best way to maximize their talent might be utilizing their rotation depth -- something they attempted Saturday with Honeywell opening for Ryan Yarbrough and will try again Sunday with Patiño pitching ahead of Fleming.

Patiño and Fleming will create a sharp contrast for Blue Jays hitters. Before they can get too comfortable against the right-handed Patiño’s overpowering arsenal, they’ll be presented with the left-handed Fleming’s ability to induce weak contact.

I think it's going to be very effective,” Fleming said. “Obviously, he's a high-velocity guy. He's got some good carry and just harder stuff than I do. And I think those two, me and him, whether he's opening for me or I'm going and he's following, I think it's going to really kind of throw the Blue Jays for a loop. Just two different styles of pitching.”

Cash didn’t want to classify Sunday’s game as any sort of “tandem” outing, but the Rays intend to use both pitchers for multiple innings since they’re being stretched out as starters. Patiño said he has worked up to four innings at the alternate training site, pitching every fifth or sixth day, with his last outing coming Monday. He has faced another team only once due to rainouts, and coincidentally, it was Toronto’s alternate site squad.

“We know he's got a lot of talent. He's a continued work in progress, shaping his breaking ball and his changeup, but the fastball, he's got a good one,” Cash said. “We're excited to have him, and he can help in whatever capacity.”

Around the horn
• Castillo said he felt “really good” reporting to the ballpark on Saturday afternoon. He said he experienced the side effects commonly associated with the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine: a sore left shoulder, general soreness and fatigue.

• Cash said Mazza reported that “his shoulder was barking a little bit” after he threw 34 pitches over three scoreless innings on Friday night. The Rays now have five pitchers on the 10-day injured list and six on the 60-day IL.

• Part of the reason Chris Archer has been delayed in his return from right lateral forearm tightness is that he has been away from the team attending to a family matter. Archer is still working out, however.