Rays' stacked 'pen on track to get stronger

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- On his first morning in the Rays’ Spring Training clubhouse, infielder Ryon Healy listed off a few things he knew about Tampa Bay upon signing a Minor League deal with the club. There was one in particular that stood out.

“Some of the best bullpen arms you've ever seen,” Healy said. “I don't know what they've got in the water here, but I'm excited to find out.”

It’s no secret the Rays always feature a deep and dangerous bullpen. Last year’s group overcame what felt like an insurmountable barrage of injuries to post an American League-best 3.24 ERA. Now, consider this: They could be even better, even deeper, this season.

The last two days, the Rays have seen encouraging signs from four relievers who missed significant time or did not pitch at all last year: left-handers Jalen Beeks, Colin Poche and Jeffrey Springs and right-hander Ryan Thompson.

At around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Poche and Springs (sandwiched between high-leverage arms Andrew Kittredge, Pete Fairbanks and impressive newcomer Jason Adam) pitched well in live batting practice. About an hour and a half later, Beeks worked a perfect inning against the Pirates. Then, Tuesday morning, Thompson looked and felt good facing hitters for the first time this spring.

“We've just always had a stacked bullpen. I think this year we're probably going to be more stacked than we have ever been,” Thompson said. “You can't have too many guys, but we have so many guys. It's like, are we going to have a 15- or 16-man bullpen? … It's going to be a fun year.”

Here’s a look at four Rays relievers looking to make a healthy, effective return this season.

Jalen Beeks
Beeks had Tommy John surgery in September 2020, right as he was coming into his own. The lefty had a 3.26 ERA through 12 outings when he walked off the mound at Tropicana Field on Aug. 25, 2020. But Beeks seems to have picked up right where he left off.

His fastball has been up to 93-94 mph, and he struck out Pittsburgh’s Anthony Alford and Bryan Reynolds with filthy changeups on Monday. After catching one of his bullpen sessions, Mike Zunino said Beeks was “pretty dang close to where I remember him.” It was a ringing endorsement.

“I've felt good for a while, so I felt like I was back even before I got into games. I felt healthy,” Beeks said. “Stuff was coming out good, where I was [before] -- hopefully a little better was the goal. It's just stepping stones now.”

Beeks seems like a candidate to be the sort of high-leverage multi-inning reliever Collin McHugh was last season. That’s a key role for the Rays, especially coming off a shortened Spring Training this year.

Colin Poche
The Rays have been without Poche and his seemingly invisible fastball since he underwent his second Tommy John surgery in July 2020. But he plans to be ready for Opening Day, and he’s been pleased to see the velocity and “jump” on his fastball show up where they need to be.

Poche, who had 72 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings in 2019, faced hitters last October. That allowed him to enjoy a typical offseason -- as typical as it can get during a lockout, anyway -- and a standard Spring Training. After living on a rehab schedule, he said he’s finally back to “feeling like a normal guy” again.

Few people appreciate how good “normal” feels like pitchers coming back from long-term injuries.

“I kind of do that every day, to be honest. It's still new,” Poche said, smiling. “Just to be here and be with the guys every day is awesome.”

Jeffrey Springs
Springs emerged as an important part of the Rays' bullpen during the first half last season, compiling a 3.43 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. Then came an ugly injury on July 31, when Springs badly sprained his right knee trying to field a Rafael Devers bunt.

Springs underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in August, rehabbed all offseason and reported to camp ready to go. He tested out his surgically repaired knee by cutting and jumping while training at Architech Sports in Charlotte, and he’s felt like himself since being permitted to throw without a bulky knee brace.

“Blessed to be where I am and have a chance to be ready to go,” Springs said. “I'm excited about it.”

Springs said he entered camp with no limitations and set a goal to be in the bullpen on Opening Day -- “as long as they think my stuff’s good enough.”

Ryan Thompson
Thompson’s summer was full of frustration. Off to a great start with a 2.38 ERA through June 27, he ran into a shoulder issue he couldn’t shake or identify. After attempted comebacks and essentially a diagnosis of exclusion, Thompson had surgery in September to address thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS).

“My year last year was not fun, trying to figure out what's going on with my arm,” Thompson said. “Anytime you go under the knife, there's no guarantee you'll come back.”

But Thompson has come back. He spent three months recovering from surgery, learned as much as he could about TOS and trained -- physical therapy, strength and conditioning, Pilates and pitching -- at Rokke Performance Therapy in Oregon, crediting their assistance for his current condition.

“They not only helped me recover from my surgery, but they found a lot of movement deficiencies and stuff that I didn't know about that may have been part of the problem but also maybe would have been a problem in the future,” Thompson said. “So being able to attack those just gives me more confidence that I'm going to be able to remain healthy.”

He reached a major milestone by facing hitters Tuesday, saying he could “100 percent” feel a difference on the mound. Now back in a regular routine, it’s time for the rush back to the regular season.

“The three-week Spring Training is going to be interesting, to see how that plays out, but I'm doing every last thing I can to be ready for Opening Day,” Thompson said. “I think my health is not in question.”