Injury to Key Relief Pitcher Comes at Bad Time with Rays' Bullpen Struggling

The Tampa Bay Rays aren’t off to the start to the season that they would have liked, but luckily, it is still early. However, there is reason to be concerned about one unit, and recent news was not ideal.

Coming into the year, the Rays had some high hopes for the campaign following a challenging 2025 season. Last year, Tampa Bay had to play the entire season in an outdoor minor league stadium in Florida. This resulted in the team being in a tough spot, especially when it came to scheduling.

The Rays ultimately finished the year eight games under the .500 mark, but did have a positive run differential, which usually is the indication of a good team. Coming into this season, one of the areas that the team thought could be a strength is the bullpen.

Despite the decision not to pick up the team option on closer Pete Fairbanks, there was still quite a bit of talent on paper for the unit coming into the year. Unfortunately, injuries and ineffectiveness have been a storyline early on. Now, Garrett Cleavinger will be heading to the injured list with some right calf tightness.

Bullpen Takes Another Blow

Roster move for #Rays:

LH Garrett Cleavinger to IL (right calf tightness), RH Hunter Bigge recalled
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) April 3, 2026

Losing Cleavinger is another significant blow for a Rays bullpen that has not been performing well. Now, two of the projected top relief pitchers are on the IL, with Cleavinger joining Edwin Uceta.

The timing of the injury certainly isn’t great for Tampa Bay. This is a group that hasn’t pitched well, and losing their top left-hander is far from ideal. While the unit still has some talent, one of their key pieces is really struggling to start the season.

The performance of Griffin Jax this season has been far from ideal, and the poor start has contributed to them losing a couple of games early on. In four appearances, he has pitched just two innings and has allowed five earned runs. With an ERA of 22.50, the right-hander is going to need to put together a solid stretch to get that number down.

With Cleavinger going down, the Rays will be bringing up Hunter Bigge to replace him. The right-hander has flashed some good things in the majors, and he will be given the opportunity to prove himself with the group struggling.

Overall, this is a group that has to be better than it has been, and losing a top relief pitcher isn’t great. Hopefully, the group can get back on track soon, and also that Cleavinger will be back soon.