Rays Lose Another Key Member of Starting Rotation to IL
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The Tampa Bay Rays have been dealing with injuries to their starting rotation since Opening Day, a complete 180-degree turn from the injury luck they had in 2025.
Last year, not a single start was missed by members of their rotation. This year, they lost Ryan Pepiot, who made 31 starts last season, before the campaign even began. His replacement, Joe Boyle, made three starts before ending up on the injured list.
Now, another starting pitcher is going to miss some time. As shared by Ryan Bass on X, the Rays are placing right-handed pitcher Griffin Jax on the injured list with right elbow discomfort. He was scratched from his start against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 8, which turned into a bullpen game with Casey Legumina taking the mound in his place.
The move is being made retroactively to Aug. 6. Taking Jax’s place on the roster is Michael Grove, a right-handed pitcher who was recalled from Triple-A Durham after being optioned back to the minor leagues just last week, with his most recent appearance being on Aug. 3 against the Colorado Rockies.
Rays place Griffin Jax on injured list
It was just the second outing for Grove in 2026 with the Big League team. His first came on June 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he threw three shutout innings in a 4-2 victory.
It will be interesting to see what role Grove fills on the team because the Rays are short on starting pitchers currently. They already have Shane McClanahan on the injured list with a back ailment, but his injury isn’t considered to be serious, with two starts potentially being missed.
There hasn’t been such an update provided on Jax yet, but whenever a pitcher is going to be sidelined because of elbow woes, it is certainly not encouraging.
In the bullpen to begin the 2026 season and converted to a starter a few weeks in, Jax has already thrown a career-high 91.2 innings. He has performed incredibly well as a starter after a brutal beginning to the campaign coming out of the bullpen.
The Rays have officially placed RHP Griffin Jax (right elbow discomfort) on the 15-day IL (retro Aug. 6) and recalled RHP Michael Grove from Triple-A Durham.
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) August 9, 2026
As a starter, Jax has a 3.16 ERA across 82.2 innings with 90 strikeouts. A slash line of .234/.288/.380 has been allowed, with opponents producing a tOPS+ of 90 and sOPS+ of 85, producing above the league average level.
This is a sizable loss for Tampa Bay, as pressure mounts on their MLB trade deadline addition, Freddy Peralta. He has to step up and perform at a high level as the new No. 3 in the rotation for the time being.
With Jax sidelined, Ian Seymour will continue making starts for the team, as bullpen games could become the norm for the team one time through the rotation.
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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.