Struggles of Rays' Pitcher Have Become Concerning

Should the Tampa Bay Rays be concerned about the struggles of one of their pitchers?

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

While the Tampa Bay Rays have been playing very well overall, they have had some struggles of late, and one of their key contributors has hit a rough patch, prompting some change. 

Following a bad two-week stretch, the Rays were able to get back on track to begin this week with a sweep against the Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay has done an excellent job against divisional opponents this year, and it is a major reason why they are in first place in the American League. 

However, while the Rays have been good overall, there are some areas where they might seek some upgrades. While the starting rotation has been a strength of the team so far, they do have some concerns. Ryan Pepiot will be out for the rest of the season, creating a bit of a void in the rotation that they have been trying to piece together all year. 

Furthermore, even though he got off to a strong start for the team, free agent signing Steven Matz has not been good of late and was recently sent to the bullpen. However, after being on the injured list last month and struggling now, there should be some concern about his performance of late. 

Matz Still Struggling

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In free agency, adding the southpaw was an interesting move by the Rays. After pitching well out of the bullpen in 2025, he was given the chance to be a starter, and things were going well early on. In April, the southpaw was (3-1) with a 3.76 ERA, and Tampa Bay won four of the five starts that he made. 

Unfortunately, in May, he missed some time with an injury, and since coming back, he hasn’t been great. In his last two starts before moving to the bullpen against the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers, he has allowed 11 runs in 4.1 innings pitched. The move to the bullpen made sense with the struggles and the decrease in velocity, but he hasn’t pitched great in relief either. 

Through two appearances, he has totaled 1.1 innings pitched and has allowed three runs. Despite the strong start to the campaign, the numbers now all of a sudden don’t look very good for the southpaw, and what the team will do with him going forward will be interesting to watch. Perhaps he is not 100 percent healthy, and that could explain some of the struggles.