Tampa Bay Rays Recall Two Fresh Pitchers Ahead of Series Finale vs. Yankees
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The Tampa Bay Rays have recalled southpaws Joe Rock and Ian Seymour from Triple-A Durham, the team announced on Thursday.
The Tampa Bay Rays have recalled LHP Joe Rock and LHP Ian Seymour from Triple-A Durham.
— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) July 31, 2025
The move comes after an 11-inning, 5-4 defeat against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night that saw seven pitchers take the mound for the Rays. Moreover, it was reported that Tampa Bay traded starting right-hander Zack Littell to the Cincinnati Reds after Littell logged five innings in the loss, further depleting the staff.
Rock returns
Originally selected by the Colorado Rockies with the 68th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Ohio University, Rock made his way to the Rays last season in a trade that sent shortstop Greg Jones to Colorado. On June 28, the 25-year-old made his MLB debut, logging two innings while striking out four batters, allowing four hits and two earned runs.
On July 6, Rock was optioned back to Durham. In 15 starts with the Bulls in 2025, Rock has a 3-5 record with a 4.63 ERA. He has 71 strikeouts, with 33 walks and 42 earned runs in 20 total games.
Seymour back in the fold
Seymour has been in and out of Tampa Bay’s pitching staff this season, with his most recent appearance coming on Tuesday in a 7-5 loss to New York. He logged one inning with one strikeout. On Wednesday, the Rays optioned Seymour back to Durham while recalling right-hander Paul Gervase. However, Durham never activated Seymour.
The Rays selected Seymour with the 57th pick of the 2020 draft out of Virginia Tech. The 26-year-old southpaw made his MLB debut on June 9 against the Boston Red Sox, registering two strikeouts, two walks and an unearned run in two innings. His debut also featured his first career win.
In seven MLB games, Seymour is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He has nine strikeouts while allowing eight hits, three walks and two earned runs in 10.2 innings.
The Rays (54-55) are below .500 for the first time since May 25 and fell to seventh in the wild card standings after Wednesday night’s loss. Tampa Bay will try to recover some ground as it concludes a four-game set against the Yankees on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET. Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot (6-8, 3.42 ERA) faces New York’s Marcus Stroman (2-2, 6.09 ERA).
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Don Strouble is a sports journalist who covers Tampa Bay Rays baseball and other sports for the ‘’On SI’’ network. He is a Northeast Ohio native and currently lives in Orlando, Fla.
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