4 Rays Players Who Helped Themselves Most in Spring Training

The Tampa Bay Rays wrapped up spring training and are preparing for Opening Day against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Over the last month, there was a lot of competition in camp at Port Charlotte. Jobs on the Major League roster were up for grabs, and players did everything they could to put themselves in a position to earn them.

While some players fell short, others excelled and played at a high level. Here are four Rays players who helped themselves the most during spring training.

Shane McClanahan

The performance of a two-time All-Star in spring training isn’t normally something that fans will pay much mind to. But when that player is setting his sights on a return to the field after missing multiple seasons, it will draw attention.

That is exactly what Shane McClanahan is doing. He has not appeared in a Major League game since August 2023, but is in line to pitch the team’s fifth game of the season in their series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Seeing him on the mound in any capacity is encouraging. Performing at a high level is truly awesome. The talented lefty made four starts, throwing 13 innings with a 2.08 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

If he is back to his All-Star ways, Tampa Bay has a true ace to anchor its high-upside staff.

Ben Williamson

The Rays acquired Ben Williamson from the Seattle Mariners, operating as the third team in the deal that sent Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Mariners. Upon being acquired, it was anyone’s guess where he would fit into the lineup.

He played mostly third base with Seattle, but Junior Caminero is entrenched there. So, Williamson took things into his own hands and produced at a level that would have forced him into the lineup.

He was excellent in the spring with a .348/.423/.565 slash line. The starting second base job is likely his with Gavin Lux heading to the injured list, along with shortstop Taylor Walls.

Williamson certainly beat out Richie Palacios for the starting job and should see regular time throughout the entire infield.

Mason Englert

Tampa Bay had some openings in its bullpen that went right down to the wire during spring training.

Coming away with one of the five spots was Mason Englert, who earned it with an excellent camp that followed a very solid 2025 campaign. He made five appearances during the exhibition season and didn’t allow an earned run in 8.1 innings.

Englert looks like a useful multi-inning relief pitcher, which the team could use with so many starters looking like they will be on some sort of workload limit in 2026.

Jake Fraley

The Rays revamped their entire outfield this offseason. Chandler Simpson is the only player who played in at least 100 games who is returning. Josh Lowe and Jake Mangum were part of trades, and Christopher Morel was designated for assignment.

Opportunities were abundant to seize a starting job, and Jake Fraley took full advantage. He had a .321/.513/.536 slash line with one home run, three doubles, eight walks and two stolen bases.

In need of a spark offensively, Fraley looks capable of providing it now that he is healthy.