Rays include 12 pitchers on ALDS roster
HOUSTON -- After carrying nine infielders and only 10 pitchers for the American League Wild Card Game against the A’s, the Rays are going back to a more traditional roster, given that it’s a five-game series against the Astros in the AL Division Series.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 4 | HOU 6, TB 2 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 5 | HOU 3, TB 1 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 7 | TB 10, HOU 3 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 8 | TB 4, HOU 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 10 | HOU 6, TB 1 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: The Rays are carrying 12 pitchers on the ALDS roster, including four starters in Tyler Glasnow, Charlie Morton, Blake Snell and Ryan Yarbrough. An interesting addition to the pitching staff is Brendan McKay, who can make an impact on the mound and at the plate.
Eric Sogard, who hasn’t played since Sept. 15, is back on the roster, giving the Rays seven infielders. Guillermo Heredia remains off the roster and Tampa Bay will continue to carry just four outfielders.
• Dress for October: Shop Rays postseason gear
“Watching [Sogard] run [Thursday] really kind of signed it,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “They’re so right-handed-heavy in the bullpen. To be able to have that bat, and he’s so contact-oriented. The good thing is Sogard has done so many things in the bullpen and tracking pitches and taking some swings behind the scenes that we feel he’s in a good spot.”
Pitchers (12): Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Oliver Drake, Tyler Glasnow, Brendan McKay, Charlie Morton, Emilio Pagán, Colin Poche, Chaz Roe, Blake Snell, Ryan Yarbrough
Glasnow, Snell, Morton and Yarbrough will handle the starter duties for the Rays, with Yarbrough remaining flexible in a possible relief role. Chirinos could also provide some length, especially behind Snell in Game 2. The one slight surprise is the fact that McKay made the roster. He gives Tampa Bay another long-relief arm and also a left-handed-hitting option against a Houston rotation that is primarily right-handed, but Cash said that would be a “long shot.”
Cash said the last spot in the bullpen came down to Andrew Kittredge, Pete Fairbanks, McKay and a couple others.
“Kind [of] we went down to the third lefty,” Cash said. “Just because we figured they were going to separate [Michael] Brantley, [Yordan] Alvarez and [Josh] Reddick, which they have. Poche gets a crack at it, and whether it’s McKay or [Ryan Yarbrough], depending on the situation of the game and matching up, but feel like Brendan could be an option and crank up [to] 95-96 mph and work through that part of the lineup.”
Catchers (2): Travis d'Arnaud, Mike Zunino
These are the two catchers that the Rays will carry throughout the playoffs. d’Arnaud has produced with his bat and Zunino, while having a disappointing year at the plate, is an upgrade defensively.
Infielders (7): Willy Adames, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Díaz, Matt Duffy, Brandon Lowe, Eric Sogard, Joey Wendle
Some notable names left off this list include Michael Brosseau, who played first, second and third base in the AL Wild Card Game. Daniel Robertson, who was also on the AL Wild Card Game roster, was left off. And Jesús Aguilar didn’t make the 25-man cut, as Tampa Bay opted to go with a couple of other left-handed options.
“Tough decisions. Very tough decisions,” Cash said. “But they have all the right-handers in the bullpen. I know Miley, I don’t know what they’re going to do, whether he’s a short [-innings] guy or a starter in Game 4, but we’ll revisit that if it comes to that.”
One surprise is that Nate Lowe, who has provided good at-bats from the left side, did not make the roster. With him and Aguilar off the roster, Choi and Díaz will handle the first-base duties.
“All the lefties are playing with the exception of Sogard, because he’s a little banged up,” Cash said. “But just didn’t see the opportunity to necessarily use [Nate Lowe] with all of our lefties showing health and being ready to play.”
Outfielders (4): Avisaíl García, Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham
The Rays decided to carry just four outfielders, because they feel confident Brandon Lowe, Wendle and Sogard can slide over to the outfield in case of an injury. Meadows, Kiermaier, Pham and García will all play key roles in this series. Heredia and speedster Johnny Davis are notable outfielders who were left off the roster.