Rays bring Fleming into pitching mix

As they did late last August, the Rays are calling upon left-hander Josh Fleming to help stabilize a pitching staff inundated by injuries.

Tampa Bay added Fleming to the taxi squad before Tuesday’s game against Texas and officially recalled him after an 8-3 loss at Tropicana Field. Fleming will start Wednesday night against the Rangers at 7:10 p.m. ET (live on MLB.TV). Fleming is effectively taking the place of Chris Archer, who is on the 10-day injured list with right lateral forearm tightness.

“Just very excited to kind of start doing what I did last year. Obviously, I’d like to repeat that and keep going,” Fleming said on Tuesday. “Quite unfortunate that Arch had to go down for me to be in this spot, but I'm just ready to contribute however I can.”

The Rays opted to push veteran lefty Rich Hill’s scheduled start back a day to Thursday and slot Fleming in on his scheduled start day. They cleared a spot for Fleming on the active roster Tuesday night by optioning corner infielder Kevin Padlo, who was 0-for-6 with five strikeouts and two walks in three games, back to the alternate training site.

Fleming was the most likely choice to fill out the rotation for several reasons. First, he was already scheduled to pitch five or six innings Wednesday at the Rays’ alternate training site, so he brings a fresh arm capable of covering a bunch of innings. Second, Fleming has done everything the Rays have asked of him since his big league debut last Aug. 23.

Down the stretch last season, Fleming provided a huge boost to the Rays’ rotation as he went 5-0 with a 2.78 ERA over seven outings, including five starts and two bulk-inning appearances. He looked sharp in Spring Training, too, saying he hoped to earn a spot on the Opening Day staff by pitching so well it would force the Rays’ hand.

Fleming did everything in his control to accomplish that goal, allowing only three hits and a walk while striking out eight in 8 2/3 scoreless innings over four outings. But Tampa Bay opted to carry a handful of short relievers while giving rotation/bulk-inning depth options like Fleming and Trevor Richards a little more time to gradually build up their workload at the alternate training site in Port Charlotte, Fla.

“Yeah, it was a tough pill to swallow, really. I thought I did everything I could to break with the team. But that decision’s not in my hand, so I was just controlling what I could control,” Fleming said. “Obviously, it sucked to be optioned, but I never let that affect how I acted there. I understood everything. Really just wanted to get better at the alt site, and whenever they’d call on me, I’d be ready.”

The Rays know what to expect from Fleming. He’ll work quickly, throw strikes and create soft contact. The lefty posted a 64.9 percent ground ball rate last season with an opponents’ average exit velocity of 86 mph. He relies mostly on a sinker that averaged 90.5 mph last year and a cutter he threw 29.4 percent of the time last season, according to Statcast.

“What he did last year was huge for us. It's good to see him back, just like it was good to see Trevor come in the other day,” manager Kevin Cash said. “They're both going to be really, really big parts of our team. We knew that when we optioned them out in Spring Training. You can only have 26 when you break camp, but knowing that, Flem and Trevor are going to just play huge roles for us.”

Fleming said he spent his time at the alternate site camp working on his delivery to get the most out of his cutter and curveball, and he noticed the changes he implemented wound up improving everything in his arsenal. It also helped that, unlike last summer, he was able to face another team rather than pitching to his teammates every five days.

“To face different teams was really nice,” Fleming said. “I faced the Blue Jays’ alt site team, and it was just refreshing, really, to see guys that aren't our own for once.”

Around the horn

• Fleming will be the 34th player used by the Rays this season, the highest total in the Majors. He'll also be the 19th pitcher used in just 12 games, six fewer than they used in 60 games last year.

• The Rays made one noticeable adjustment to their lineup on Tuesday, bumping Yoshi Tsutsugo from the leadoff spot down to sixth. Austin Meadows hit first, and Joey Wendle moved up to the three-hole. In his first nine games, Tsutsugo went 5-for-31 with 14 strikeouts, including 10 in his last four games. Cash said he hoped the different look would help Tsutsugo relax, and the Rays liked the idea of Wendle getting to hit with Meadows and Randy Arozarena on base.

• Kevin Kiermaier, currently on the 10-day injured list, tested his strained left quad again on Tuesday by running. Cash said Kiermaier looked good and that head athletic trainer Joe Benge was encouraged by his progress. The Rays don’t have a date in mind for his return, but Cash said the center fielder could hit in a simulated game within the next few days.