Rays Announce Unexpected Major Role Change for Steven Matz

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced a role change for Steven Matz.

May 20, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Steven Matz got off to a great start this season, transitioning back to the rotation full-time for the first time since the 2021 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Since that point, he has been used more often as a relief pitcher than a starter, but the Rays signed him with the intent to use him in the rotation. At first, it was working quite well with the veteran lefty providing consistent production at the back of the rotation.

The only thing that slowed Matz down was being placed on the injured list. He made his last appearance on May 3 before being sidelined for about three weeks. At that point, he had a 3.86 ERA, but his 4.83 FIP indicated there was some regression that could be on the horizon.

Matz looked good in his return from the injured list, firing four strong innings against the Baltimore Orioles, but he has struggled mightily since, prompting Tampa Bay to make a change with his role.

Rays moving Steven Matz to the bullpen

Jun 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The team announced that he will be heading to the bullpen. In his last start against the Detroit Tigers, Matz made it through only 1.2 innings, surrendering six hits and five earned runs, getting taken deep twice.

He threw only 53 pitches in the outing, but manager Kevin Cash said he was removed from the game because he was showing a concerning drop in velocity. Normally averaging 93.3 mph, he was topping out at 92 against the Tigers.

It is fair to wonder if the elbow inflammation that put him on the sidelines is having an impact on his performance. In his last two starts, Matz has pitched only 4.2 innings, giving up 13 hits to go along with two walks and surrendering 13 earned runs. He has struck out only four batters and has a 21.21 ERA and 11.04 FIP.

#Rays are moving Matz to bullpen for now

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 6, 2026

He is taking the move to the bullpen in stride, saying, via ESPN, he has to, "Got to try to work myself out of this rut and move forward."

On the season, Matz now has a 5.48 ERA in 46 innings with 37 strikeouts and 17 walks. The strikeout rate is on track to be the third-worst of his career, and he has only one year, in 2018, with the New York Mets, that registered a worse walk rate than the 8.7% he currently has with the Rays.

It will be interesting to see how he takes to being in the bullpen again. A replacement for him in the rotation has yet to be announced, but starting pitching is even more of a need ahead of the trade deadline for Tampa Bay now.