Following a loss to the Boston Red Sox , the Tampa Bay Rays have made some roster moves for the team going forward.
As the Rays entered their game on Friday , they were working on piecing together their pitching with a couple of injuries to pitchers. Due to the team having Steven Matz go to the injured list, their depth is being tested. Furthermore, with Ryan Pepiot and Joe Boyle also on the IL, the team is going to need some players to step up from the minors.
In the loss on Friday, the team used the combination of Jesse Scholtens and Mason Englert . Despite losing, they performed very well, combining to allow just two runs in eight innings of work. Unfortunately, the offense for the team was shut down by Connelly Early , and their winning streak was snapped.
Despite Englert pitching well, the team made a couple of roster moves, one of which involved sending him to the minors for pitcher Aaron Brooks. Furthermore, with a need to make room on the 40-man roster, they had to designate outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy for assignment.
While Tampa Bay should be set for the next three games with their star trio of Nick Martinez , Drew Rasmussen , and Shane McClanahan pitching the next three games, the team should be in good shape.
However, following those three, it will likely be Griffin Jax continuing to stretch out in a starter role. Bringing up the veteran Brooks could be to help provide a guy who can pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen, with Englert likely to need a few days off.
Furthermore, with the team designating Malloy for assignment, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for him with the franchise. Tampa Bay has gotten some solid production from both Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade , making Malloy a bit obsolete on the 40-man roster.
The Rays generally do a very good job with their roster moves to get the most out of the talent that they have on the 40-man roster. It was really encouraging to see a strong outing from Englert, and he likely will be back up soon.
Even though the rotation has been a strength, Kevin Cash is getting creative of late to try to piece together two of the spots. This will put some pressure on the bullpen, and they will need to continue to step up.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rays/onsi as Rays Make Multiple Roster Moves Following Winning Streak Being Snapped .
