Rays Make Rotation Adjustments Following Rainout Against Yankees

What will the Rays' rotation look like following a rain out on Saturday?

May 17, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Following a thrilling win on Friday night, the Tampa Bay Rays were rained out on Saturday with a fairly early call due to bad weather in New York. 

It was a pretty early call by the New York Yankees, with bad weather taking over most of the Northeast on Saturday to postpone their game on Saturday. Coming into the weekend series, this was an important one for the Rays to win. Despite having the best record in the American League, they still have a lot of doubters, and winning this series would have helped prove how good they are. 

Despite trailing and being shut out for most of the game on Friday, Tampa Bay was able to attack the Yankees’ bullpen in the eighth inning and scored four runs. Gerrit Cole was really good against them, but the Rays stuck with their process and finally got to the bullpen late in the game. Unfortunately, despite the team having a ton of momentum, they were rained out on Saturday. 

With it being an impromptu off day, Tampa Bay has made some adjustments for their starting rotation for not only Sunday, but the upcoming series as well. 

Rotation Adjustments 

Here’s how the #Rays rotation will line up for the remainder of the road trip:

Drew Rasmussen tomorrow vs NYY.

Shane McClanahan, Griffin Jax and Steven Matz against Baltimore.

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) May 23, 2026

Due to the rainout on Saturday, the Rays have had to make some adjustments to their rotation. On Sunday, barring bad weather once again in New York, it will be Drew Rasmussen taking the mound. 

The right-hander has been excellent for the team this year, totaling a (4-1) record, 3.19 ERA, and 45 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. Coming off an All-Star campaign, the right-hander hasn’t missed a beat this year. 

Furthermore, following the game on Sunday for Tampa, they will be staying on the road and playing the Baltimore Orioles. To kick off that series, it will be Shane McClanahan taking the mound. The southpaw has been fantastic for the team since returning from injury, and he will be tasked with setting the tone for that series. 

Following McClanahan will be Griffin Jax. The right-hander has continued to stretch out a bit after being the favorite to be the closer for the team coming into the year. After him, Steven Matz will be making his second start since coming off the injured list in the series finale. 

Overall, getting an extra day won’t be bad for the starters at this point in the year. However, the weather will once again have to be monitored on Sunday, and this is certainly subject to change.