Rays Giving Young Pitcher a Shot With Ryan Pepiot Sidelined
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Heading into the 2026 MLB regular season, the strength of the Tampa Bay Rays was expected to be their pitching staff.
They brought in veterans Steven Matz and Nick Martinez in free agency to complement All-Star Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot. Former All-Star Shane McClanahan is also set to return after being sidelined since August 2023 with multiple injuries.
However, their depth is going to be tested right out of the gate against the St. Louis Cardinals. That is because the Rays are placing Pepiot on the injured list with right hip inflammation, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
In addition, manager Kevin Cash added that Pepiot is not expected to be out long. Based on that, it is fair to assume he will miss only one, maybe two turns through the rotation, just to ensure that his inflammation goes down and he is ramped up properly to start Major League games.
Rays placing Ryan Pepiot on injured list, replacing him with Joe Boyle
Taking Pepiot’s spot in the rotation for the second game of the year against the Cardinals will be Joe Boyle. One of the team’s high-upside arms, he has shown some signs of being an impactful performer in the Big Leagues.
His stuff is excellent, and if he can hone his control, he will be a difference maker on the mound for Tampa Bay at some point. It will be interesting to see what his role is after Pepiot returns to the rotation.
So #Rays rotation now looks like this:
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 24, 2026
Rasmussen
Boyle
Matz
Martinez
McClanahan
Pepiot, per Cash, not expected to be out long.
Will Boyle be placed in the bullpen, retained as a swingman, given some of the concerns with the rotation? There are multiple players who could have questionable workloads with innings limits.
Or, will he return to the minor leagues to continue starting games and be the first player called upon should a need arise in the bullpen?
Another reason that Boyle is starting Game 2 for the Rays is that they wanted to give some time to Martinez to ensure he is fully ready to go for his debut with the team. He has been pushed back to Game 4 of the season, the opener of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, because of a minor hamstring issue.
More #Rays news:
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 24, 2026
Joe Boyle will come up and start Game 2, Nick Martinez pushed back to Game 4, has a minor hamstring issue
While certainly not ideal to have to change up plans that have been in place for a little while, not in regard to the pitching order, if there was any positional group on the team that was prepared to handle early-season issues, it was the starting pitching staff.
Matz will remain the Game 3 starter, with McClanahan being fifth in the rotation.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.