Glasnow playing catch 'a really good sign'

ST. PETERSBURG -- A day before starting the second half of the season in Atlanta, manager Kevin Cash shared some encouraging news about the Rays’ injured ace.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, on the 60-day injured list with a partially torn right ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor strain, is “lightly playing catch,” Cash said. Glasnow exited his June 14 start in Chicago with the injury and visited Dr. Keith Meister on June 18, when he was advised to not throw for about four weeks.

It’s too early to say how Glasnow’s recovery will proceed and when he might return -- he isn’t eligible to come off the 60-day IL until Aug. 14 -- but seeing him pick up a baseball and throw again qualifies as a positive development for Tampa Bay.

“For me, that's a really good sign,” Cash said before the Rays’ optional workout at Tropicana Field on Thursday. “If we're signing off that he can get a ball and get going [and] let's see how it feels, we should be thrilled with that.”

The day after sustaining the injury, Glasnow mentioned the possibility of returning for the postseason. During a June 25 appearance on the Chris Rose Rotation podcast, Glasnow said he was “pretty optimistic about being able to come back sooner than later. ... How my arm feels and the 60-day [IL], I’ll probably be back before the playoffs and then be able to play into the playoffs.”

Glasnow was one of the Majors’ best pitchers before his injury, posting a 2.66 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 88 innings over 14 starts, and he still ranks second on the Rays with 2.2 bWAR. The rest of Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has held its own despite the injury to Glasnow and other key arms like reliever Nick Anderson, entering the second half with an AL-best 3.50 ERA.

“That's how we're built. We're built with having a bunch of quality arms that can provide a lot of depth,” Cash said. “You never want to run into your depth maybe to the degree that we have this year or in the past couple seasons, but to know that we have those guys and can stick them in any moment in the game and they find a way to succeed is pretty important to our group.”

Starters out of the break
Right-hander Michael Wacha will start Friday’s second-half opener against the Braves at Truist Park. Left-hander Josh Fleming is scheduled to pitch the bulk of the innings in some capacity on Saturday, and veteran lefty Rich Hill will start Sunday’s series finale. That lines up lefty Ryan Yarbrough to start Monday against the Orioles and lefty Shane McClanahan to pitch Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

“We wanted to prioritize [McClanahan] getting a little bit [of] extra rest. If we could do that, that was a priority,” Cash said. “And then everything else just kind of slotted in pretty evenly.”

Wacha made two strong starts heading into the break, with a rough relief appearance sandwiched in between those outings. The righty held Boston to one hit while striking out seven over five scoreless innings on June 24, then limited Cleveland to one earned run over six innings on July 7.

“Looking forward to getting this second half off to a good start,” Wacha said. “We put ourselves in a good spot in that first half, but it's important to come back here rested up, recharged and get back to what we were doing in the second half. So, just excited to get back out there and get back to it.”

Cash thrilled with All-Star Game experience
While most players spent their All-Star break relaxing, Cash and the Rays’ coaching staff spent the past few days leading the AL All-Star team in Denver. Cash called it a “mind-boggling” experience, topped by seeing Tampa Bay's three All-Star players -- Mike Zunino, Joey Wendle and Andrew Kittredge -- make an impact on the game in very fitting ways.

“They all kind of showed out, did their thing and showed why they were there,” Cash said. “Zunino's power, Joey's great defense and finding a way to get a hit, and [Kittredge] being as efficient as possible.”

Cash also enjoyed the trip on a personal level, too, as he got to share it with his family. He said one highlight in that regard was getting to meet Ken Griffey Jr. on the field during the Home Run Derby. He marveled at the way Shohei Ohtani handled himself throughout the week, noting that “the majority [of fans] were there to see him.” And he said his son, J.D., had a blast meeting the game’s biggest current stars -- and former All-Stars like David Ortiz -- during the festivities.

Meadows ready for homecoming
Austin Meadows spent the break fishing in the Florida Keys with his wife, Alexis. They had a busy drive home, though, as Alexis was handling a stack of ticket requests for what figures to be a big weekend.

This will be Meadows’ first time playing in Atlanta, where he was born. He graduated high school in nearby Loganville, Ga., and grew up rooting for Atlanta sports teams, including the Braves. Meadows said he didn’t have any idea how many people will be at Truist Park just to watch him, offering only that it’s “going to be a big one.”

“It’ll be fun to get out there and play in front of family and friends,” Meadows said.