The Tampa Bay Rays have been in a great spot down the stretch of the regular season.
They clinched a playoff spot so early and then secured the American League East in the second game of their doubleheader against the New York Yankees , so they had the luxury of spending the last five games of the regular season getting their guys to work to stay fresh and line things up for the playoffs.
As a result of that, they have been shuffling their pitching staff, bringing up a fresh arm nearly every day to ensure everyone is getting work before having a few days off ahead of the ALDS. Ahead of their regular season finale against the Philadelphia Phillies , they made another move.
Jesse Scholtens has been recalled from Triple-A Durham. He has battled a few injuries this season, but when with the Major League squad, he has proven to be a reliable innings eater, whether it is as a starter or a bulk-inning pitcher behind an opener.
Sep 12, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ty Johnson (55) throws a pitch against the Houston Astros in the eighth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The last time that he appeared in a game for the Rays was Aug. 18 when he pitched four innings against the Toronto Blue Jays . It was his second appearance after a lengthy absence from the Big League club.
Overall, Scholtens has made 11 appearances, throwing 44.2 innings with a 4.03 ERA. He has done a solid job of limiting hard contact, with an average exit velocity of 87.1 mph against him and a hard-hit rate of 35.2%
To make room for Scholtens on the 28-man roster, Tampa Bay has decided to option right-handed pitcher Ty Johnson to Durham. One of the top pitching prospects in the organization, he made his MLB debut on Sept. 6.
He has made eight appearances with the Rays, throwing 7.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA. Johnson has certainly performed well enough to hold a spot in the Tampa Bay bullpen, but after throwing an inning of work on Sept. 26 against the Phillies, the team is just looking to have another fresh arm in the mix to get through the finale in what is forecast to be nasty weather.
The start time for Game 162 has been moved up to try to get as much of the game done without being impacted by the weather.
This is the fourth pitching staff move the Rays have made in the last four days. Mason Englert was recalled on Sept. 23 to start against the Yankees, with Alex Cook being optioned to Triple-A.
Englert was optioned to Durham the next day , with Jake Woodford being added to the roster. Woodford got into the game on Sept. 24, but was designated for assignment the following day to make room for Manuel Rodriguez , who was reinstated from the injured list.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rays/onsi as Rays Option Top Prospect To Recall Jesse Scholtens .
