Talented Rays Pitcher Could Be Ready for Roster Spot on Opening Day

What will the starting rotation look like for the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day?

Apr 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. | Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have entered the offseason with the franchise already making a number of important decisions and some corresponding moves as well. 

To start the winter, the Rays sent a bit of a shockwave to the league when they elected not to pick up the team option on closer Pete Fairbanks. While he was expensive for them, many believed that he was going to be traded this winter after they exercised the option. That ended up not being the case, likely due to the team hoping to allocate that money elsewhere to make improvements. 

With a number of needs for the team, freeing up some money does make sense, but where they will allocate it has yet to be determined. One potential area could be to improve their starting rotation. However, they might have other plans with a young arm seemingly ready to join that rotation, and hopefully the return of their ace from injury. 

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently predicted what the starting rotation for the Rays would look like on Opening Day. With a couple of surprises, young southpaw Ian Seymour was projected to be a starter. 

Seymour Fills in For Injured Ace

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When looking at the projected rotation for Tampa Bay on Opening Day, it was certainly surprising to see that Reuter had them trading for Kodai Senga, but it was also surprising that Shane McClanahan wasn’t in it. 

Due to injuries for the last two years, it’s impossible to predict what the star left-hander will be able to provide the team in 2026. The franchise is undoubtedly hoping that he will be healthy and ready for Opening Day, but it’s easy to be skeptical about how much time he has missed. 

In his likely spot, Seymour is a strong option and a pitcher who has some nice potential. Last season, he was able to make his MLB debut, and he performed well for the team both as a starter and out of the bullpen a bit. Overall, he totaled a 3.63 ERA in 57 innings pitched. Furthermore, with a strikeout rate of 10.1 per nine innings pitched, he can make batters swing and miss at a high clip. 

The left-hander was really impressive in the minors before being called up and certainly deserves a chance to be a regular starter for the Rays in 2026. However, the team hopes that he will be alongside McClanahan in the rotation and not replace him.