Rays postseason FAQ: What to expect from Tampa Bay in October

ST. PETERSBURG -- A season that began with a historic 13-game winning streak will continue into the playoffs. For the fifth straight year, and the ninth time since 2008, the Rays are bound for the postseason.

The Rays are set to begin their latest playoff run on Tuesday afternoon at Tropicana Field, hosting a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Rangers as the American League’s top Wild Card team. They were in the division race until the final week, but fell short of their top regular-season goal as the Orioles claimed the AL East title on Thursday night with their 100th win.

But the Rays still have a chance to accomplish their top overall goal: winning the franchise’s first World Series.

Every year presents its challenges, and this season has been no exception for Tampa Bay. The Rays have lost staff aces and have played more than a month without their star shortstop. They weathered their share of other injuries and absences, remade their bullpen on the fly during the season, navigated a brutal slump in July and withstood another spate of late-season injuries.

They have proven to be, in the eyes of baseball operations president Erik Neander, “the most resilient team that we've ever had.” And here they are, once again, ready for a deep run in October.

“It doesn't happen without everybody in the organization playing their role. We all have a small role in this, and ideally, it sums to something special and it's driven by our players. We're all behind them,” Neander said. “It is a special accomplishment. … Something to be proud of. And again, it gives us a chance to chase that ultimate goal of winning that last game of the year.”

What could the postseason roster look like?
C: Christian Bethancourt, René Pinto
1B: Yandy Díaz
2B: Isaac Paredes
SS: Taylor Walls
3B: Curtis Mead, Junior Caminero
INF: Jonathan Aranda
OF: Randy Arozarena, Josh Lowe, Manuel Margot, Jose Siri, Luke Raley
DH: Harold Ramírez
SP: Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Zack Littell
RP: Pete Fairbanks, Robert Stephenson, Colin Poche, Shawn Armstrong, Kevin Kelly, Jake Diekman, Andrew Kittredge, Chris Devenski

What position-player postseason roster spots could be up for grabs?
The Rays now know they’ll be without Brandon Lowe (right patella fracture), but two questions remain related to key players’ health. Will center fielder Siri (right hand fracture) and first baseman/outfielder Raley (cervical strain) be back in time for the start of the postseason? Both players declared themselves ready after taking live batting practice on Monday, but expect those decisions to go right down to Tuesday’s roster deadline.

Even if Siri is not at full strength in the batter’s box, he would still provide value as an elite defender with game-changing speed. If Raley is still sidelined, will the Rays opt for a left-handed hitter such as Aranda, an outfielder in Raimel Tapia or versatile infielder Osleivis Basabe? They seem likely to include their top prospect Caminero, who would be the youngest hitter to make his postseason debut since Bryce Harper in 2012.

Expect those decisions to go right down to Tuesday morning's deadline to submit their roster.

How about the pitching staff?
The Rays are set to pitch Glasnow in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, followed by Eflin in Game 2. They haven't announced their rotation beyond that, with Civale or a bullpen game among their likely options. They experimented down the stretch with Littell and Taj Bradley out of the bullpen, where they could be used in a short series, but they also remain options to start in a longer postseason series.

The above staff comes with the understanding that Jason Adam (left oblique) won’t be available, at least not to start the postseason. Aside from one or two spots, the bullpen has been surprisingly stable since it was reshaped early in the season with the additions of Diekman, Stephenson and Armstrong.

Which players are unavailable?
Four of the Rays’ most talented starting pitchers finished the season on the 60-day injured list and won’t take part in the postseason.

Shane Baz is finishing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen underwent season-ending elbow operations earlier this season, and two-time All-Star ace Shane McClanahan had his second Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21.

Additionally, lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger (right knee) has been out since early May, prospect Greg Jones is on the 60-day IL, Brandon Lowe is out four to six weeks and Adam seems unlikely to return anytime soon.

All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on indefinite administrative leave in late August while MLB and authorities in his native Dominican Republic investigate social media posts claiming that the 22-year-old had been in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Who will they face first? When?
The fourth-seeded Rays will host the fifth-seeded Rangers in the best-of-three Wild Card Series at Tropicana Field from Tuesday through Thursday.

The Rangers won the season series this year, taking four of their six matchups. They haven't seen each other in a while, though; they played at Tropicana Field from June 9-11 and in Arlington from July 17-19.

The two teams are similar in some ways, as they feature deep and powerful lineups with pitching staffs that have had to withstand major injuries. There are also connections between the two clubs: Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is Josh Lowe's brother, and Randy Arozarena and Adolis García are such close friends that they're practically brothers.

When will they have home-field advantage?
The opponent with the best regular-season record (by win percentage) will have home-field advantage in every round through the World Series.

• Who holds the postseason tiebreakers in 2023?

As the top AL Wild Card team, the Rays will have home-field advantage in the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Rangers. They would not have home-field advantage in the ALDS, however, against the No. 1 seed Orioles.

Playing at home is no small matter for the Rays, as they went 53-28 and racked up 11 walk-off wins at Tropicana Field this season.

What is the Rays’ recent postseason history?
2022 -- Lost 2-0 to the Guardians in the AL Wild Card Series
2021 -- Lost 3-1 to the Red Sox in the ALDS
2020 -- Lost 4-2 to the Dodgers in the World Series
2019 -- Lost 3-2 to the Astros in the ALDS