CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The battle for the last spot in the Rays’ bullpen got a little clearer as Tampa Bay optioned right-handed pitcher Hunter Wood to Minor League camp on Monday morning.

Wood was one of the three pitchers competing for the last spot in the bullpen, along with right-hander Emilio Pagán and left-hander Adam Kolarek. Wood appeared in 29 games last season for Tampa Bay and served as one of the team’s openers in 2018. He finished Grapefruit League play with a 2.19 ERA over 12 1/3 innings of work.

“We expressed to him that he’s obviously going to be a big part,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We have tough decisions. We’re still going through those decisions, but we felt that as soon as we could notify those players, let’s do that, and that was our thought.”

Pagan and Kolarek each pitched a scoreless inning against the Phillies on Monday. Pagan was able to work around a one-out double in the fifth inning, while Kolarek retired the side in order in the sixth. If the Rays decide to keep Kolarek on the Opening Day roster, he would join Ryan Yarbrough, Jalen Beeks and Jose Alvarado as left-handed options in the bullpen.

“We’re going to sit down and we’re going to discuss,” Cash said following Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Phillies. “Nothing will be weighed on that outing. They both had good outings. We weren’t waiting for that, but there are still some more internal discussions and we’ll go from there.”

Wilmer Font, who started Monday’s game, was told before the game that he would be on the Opening Day roster. Font gave up two earned runs on two hits and one walk in two innings. He threw 34 pitches, 24 of them for strikes.

“The main goal was to stay healthy,” Font said. “The first couple of weeks were a little slow, but I feel like I’m 100 percent now."

Font’s role could be as a bulk guy, but the Rays could also count on him to open games whenever needed.

Cash expects the final decision to carry over into Tuesday morning before the Rays host the Tigers at Tropicana Field in the last Spring Training game before Thursday’s Opening Day matchup against the Astros.

Tropicana Field roof update

The new additions to Tropicana Field include bright LED lights throughout the stadium and blue lights on the roof. The idea was to add aesthetics to the stadium, while also helping fielders pick up fly balls better, which has been an issue before at the Trop.

Sunday morning was the first time the players got a look at the new lights, and they were received well. After seeing how the lights look at night, though, there’s a chance the lights on the roof won’t be used during games.

“It’s awesome looking, but the earlier reviews of it were not ideal,” Cash said. “The lights are better than what we had, there’s no debating that. Now it’s just going to take a little tweaking.”

Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows were two of the players who went to the Trop after Sunday’s game against the Braves to check out the lights. MLB representatives were at Tropicana Field on Monday, and it’s expected that there will be a decision before Tuesday’s game against the Tigers.

“As it stands right now, it looks like we’ll probably be using the up lighting more for events besides playing baseball,” Cash said. “Pregame, postgame, anthem and stuff like that.”

Up Next

Tuesday’s game against the Tigers will be the Rays’ last tuneup before Opening Day on Thursday. Ryan Yarbrough is expected to start for Tampa Bay. The game is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.