CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In Tuesday’s Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, the Rays got another glimpse of the real Luis Patiño.

The 23-year-old right-hander held Philadelphia hitless through 1 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out one while leaning on his mid-80s slider and 96 mph fastball in Tampa Bay’s 7-3 win. Even better for the Rays was that Patiño’s velocity didn’t dip from his first inning to the second, something that plagued him last year.

“Really encouraged by Luis,” manager Kevin Cash said. “A little erratic, but I think [pitching coach Kyle Snyder] will take the tradeoff right now for the velocity and the stuff to show up. We’ll harness it in the zone. We’ve got plenty of time for that. But that was really encouraging that he was able to maintain his velocity for two innings, and he felt good.”

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That last part is what’s most important to Patiño.

“Last year, I didn’t feel like today,” he said.

The Rays never saw the real Patiño last year.

The centerpiece of Tampa Bay’s return from the Padres in its December 2020 trade of left-handed starter Blake Snell, Patiño was injured from the very outset of last season. Red flags appeared during Spring Training when those 96s were nowhere to be found. That’s because Patiño was protecting himself from something.

The mystery was revealed during the first inning of his 2022 regular-season premiere: He had a left oblique strain. Patiño exited that game after just 13 pitches, and he didn’t throw another on a big league mound for more than three months.

It contributed to a lost season for the pitcher who was ranked by MLB Pipeline as a top-20 prospect in the Majors prior to the 2021 campaign.

That guy? That’s who was on the bump Tuesday.

“I feel really, really healthy this year,” he said. “Last year, in that moment, I’m not throwing 95, 96 in a Spring Training game. This year, I feel really good. My body is in a good spot. The oblique, the shoulder is good.

“When you’ve got health, your confidence is at the top.”

Along with a new sinker, Patiño said he’s working on throwing two types of sliders this year -- one that acts like a cutter and another that breaks like a sweeper. Thirteen of his 29 pitches Tuesday were sliders, and according to Cash, some of them were giving Snyder flashbacks.

“Kyle mentioned after the outing that a couple of those sliders, we hadn’t seen those sliders at all last year,” Cash remarked. “It goes back to the 2021 playoffs when he was throwing like that. That’s really, really encouraging.”

As for the year ahead, Patiño knows there is a big opportunity. He is in the running to start the regular season as Tampa Bay’s No. 5 starter as a result of Tyler Glasnow’s left oblique strain – the same ailment that derailed Patiño a year ago.

But Patiño is not trying to think about any of that. He has something else he wants to do:

“Show everyone who is Luis Patiño.”

Baz bides his time
Right-hander Shane Baz won’t be a part of the Rays’ formidable rotation this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, which he had last September. Fortunately -- or unfortunately? -- the Rays have a lot of pitchers who know what he is going through. 

Glasnow underwent Tommy John in 2021. Starter Drew Rasmussen has had the operation twice, as has reliever Pete Fairbanks. 

Baz said Monday from Tropicana Field that his teammates have been a great resource for him during his rehab. And there is an overarching theme to the advice they lend.

“I say the theme is making the days count instead of counting the days,” Baz said. “Just making sure you’re doing something every day to get better. It’s been good so far.”

That “something” may include strengthening his arm, working on his mental game and asking more questions in the dugout -- anything that might give him an edge in the future.

Baz is about three weeks away from being cleared to play catch for the first time since his surgery.

“I feel like I’ve made big strides,” he said, “and I’m definitely ready to pick up a baseball.”