ST. PETERSBURG -- Before Friday’s Opening Day game against the Blue Jays, the Rays made one transaction to their 30-man roster, placing reliever Diego Castillo on the paternity list and recalling infielder Daniel Robertson.

“It was kind of unique that it came down to the wire,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “We had a good sense of the situation, obviously wish Diego and his family good fortune today and in the next couple days while he’s on his leave.”

Castillo will be away from the team on Friday, but he isn’t allowed to stay on the paternity list for more than three days. If Castillo needs more time away, the Rays can designate him to the restricted list.

The decision to recall Robertson as opposed to another pitcher came down to the Rays believing they have enough pitching on the active roster to get them through the weekend, and they also value Robertson’s versatility.

“He can help us win games,” Cash said. “He’s done it in the past and he’s going to do it again. He’s so versatile the way he can defend and come off the bench and give you a quality at-bat that should help us.”

Without Castillo, the Rays will rely on Pete Fairbanks, Chaz Roe and Nick Anderson to be the primary right-handed relievers in high-leverage situations. Castillo was one of the most impressive performers during Summer Camp and is projected to have a big role in Tampa Bay's bullpen.

Robertson will serve as another right-handed-hitting option against a left-handed pitcher. He’ll also be one of the main late-inning defensive replacements in the infield.

Rays add to player pool
As they continue to look for catching depth after Chris Herrmann was granted his release, the Rays added Rene Pinto to the 60-man player pool on Friday. Pinto is a 23-year-old Minor Leaguer in Tampa Bay's system and he got valuable experience during Spring Training.

With Pinto in the player pool, the Rays now have five catchers: Mike Zunino, Michael Perez, Kevan Smith, Ronaldo Hernández and Pinto. Zunino, Perez and Smith are all on the active roster, and Hernández -- despite not playing above Class A Advanced Charlotte last season -- could be an option for the big league club later into the season.

Tampa Bay's player pool is now at 54.

Rays react to expanded postseason
On Thursday, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association came to an agreement to expand the postseason from 10 to 16 teams for the 2020 season. The first round of the postseason will consist of eight best-of-three series, and the team with the better record will host all three games.

“You know, I haven’t had a ton of time to sit and process it too much, there’s been a lot going on,” Cash said. “Look, if it’s good for our fans, then it should be good for baseball right now. The fans have missed out on some stuff, for good reason. But if this adds an element that can support the game, and we can do our job of supporting the country, we should be all for it.”

For Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough, the expanded postseason gives the club more opportunities to play in October, but the overall goal of winning a World Series doesn't change.

“Our goal was, no matter what, to get back to the playoffs and hopefully go a little deeper. And we feel like we have that team right now to be able to do that,” Yarbrough said. “We’re not really too worried about the differential [of teams].”

Up next
Yarbrough and the Rays continue their three-game set against the Blue Jays on Saturday at 3:10 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. Last season, Yarbrough finished with a 2.18 ERA in five appearances against Toronto. Watch the action live on MLB.TV.