The Tampa Bay Rays are taking on the Cleveland Guardians in the 2026 American League Championship Series with a trip to the World Series on the line.
How both teams got to this spot is opposite. The Rays swept their AL East rivals , the New York Yankees, in their ALDS matchup, while the Guardians went all five games with their AL Central rivals, the Chicago White Sox.
Looking to win their third pennant in franchise history, Tampa Bay has made a slight change to its roster for the next round of games. The bullpen is going to look a little different during the upcoming seven-game series.
Left-handed relief pitcher Garrett Cleavinger is not going to be on the roster in the ALCS . He has instead been replaced by right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins, who made his MLB debut on Sept. 13 this year.
Aug 22, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger (60) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cleavinger had been one of the best relievers for the Rays in recent years and earlier in the season, but ran into some trouble down the stretch. He was hit hard before landing on the injured list with left forearm discomfort.
Given a clean bill of health, he was on the roster for the ALDS, but the team has decided to go in a different direction for the ALCS, swapping him out for the highly touted Hopkins, who is one of the highest-ranked prospects in the organization.
Command has been an issue for the 24-year-old flamethrower. He walked 21% of batters faced in Triple-A this season, an unheard-of number. Those numbers improved when he shifted into a bullpen role from the rotation, but they persisted in the MLB, where he walked six batters in 5.1 innings but also struck out seven.
It will be interesting to see what kind of role, if any, he has with the team in the ALCS. He could be called upon if there is any mop-up duty needed to keep high-leverage arms from being wasted.
Without Cleavinger on the roster, Tampa Bay now has three left-handed hurlers to turn to: Cam Booser, Ian Seymour and Steven Matz.
The Hopkins-for-Cleavinger swap is the only change that has been made for Tampa Bay. The rest of their roster remains the same, with Drew Rasmussen getting the ball in Game 1 after Carl Crawford throws out the ceremonial first pitch .
Given how differently Cleveland operates compared to the Yankees, manager Kevin Cash is going to have a lot of decisions to make after the Guardians deployed at least four pitchers in all five games against the White Sox.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rays/onsi as Rays Make Surprising Roster Move in Bullpen Ahead of ALCS .
