Rays Prospect To Keep Eye on as Late-Season Call-up
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The Tampa Bay Rays have consistently been one of the best teams in baseball throughout the 2026 MLB regular season.
Entering play on Aug. 21, they own the best record in the American League at 76-51, leading the New York Yankees in the AL East by four games, even after a tough homestand in which they went 2-5 against the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.
There is no reason to panic, especially since a historic 9-0 road trip preceded the disappointing homestand. However, manager Kevin Cash will continue evaluating things, looking for areas where his team can create an end.
If the Rays are evaluating internal options who can help down the stretch, one player to keep an eye on is right-handed pitching prospect Ty Johnson. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Isaac Paredes deal, he has developed well since joining the organization.
Ty Johnson is likeliest Rays prospect to get called up
A starting pitcher throughout his professional career, he has begun transitioning into the bullpen. That hints that a promotion to help the Major League bullpen could be on the horizon, as Johnson is taking to the role change well.
As shared by the trio of Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, Johnson struggled in his first appearance out of the bullpen, but has settled down since. He has been dominant, with his fastball-slider combination playing well as a relief pitcher.
Over his last five appearances, spanning six innings total, he has not allowed a run, with only one hit and one walk being surrendered. He is blowing opposing hitters away, striking out 11 over that span as well.
His slider has been truly devastating since transitioning to being a relief pitcher. He has recorded an elite whiff rate of 51.6%, generating a ton of swing-and-misses with his breaking ball that sits between 85-88 mph.
Ty Johnson has thrown 5 straight scoreless outings.
— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) August 17, 2026
He has 11 Ks over 6 innings in that span. The velocity is trending upwards, as he averaged 94.5 on the fastball and touched 95.4. Pair that with his slider and he’s just so rough to deal with. It’s looking more and more likely… pic.twitter.com/R4WdqVAjXq
Johnson looks capable of getting Big League hitters out right now and could be a weapon in the Tampa Bay bullpen down the stretch. His ability to cover multiple innings in an outing is attractive as well, given some of the inning limits players are likely facing down the stretch.
Shane McClanahan is pitching this year for the first time since August 2023, while Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour have already surpassed career-highs in innings thrown. Having a fresh arm such as Johnson in the mix who can throw more than one inning in an outing can help cover innings in September.
The No. 1 goal for Cash is to get his staff to the postseason healthy. This is a group talented enough to make noise in the postseason, and Johnson can help ensure they are as healthy as possible once October rolls around.
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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.