The Tampa Bay Rays might not be off to the start that they would have liked, but with it being early in the season, there are still reasons to be optimistic.
Coming into the season, the Rays knew that they would have a long and challenging road trip to begin the year. Starting on a nine-game road trip is not ideal, and Tampa Bay has had their struggles.
However, while things might not be going the way they would have hoped, there is reason to believe the team will be alright moving forward. The bullpen has had to deal with some injuries and poor performances, but the lineup has looked better than advertised. The combination of Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz has been excellent at the top of the order , and they haven't even seen Junior Caminero get going.
Furthermore, even without one of their starting pitchers, that unit has also done well. Fortunately, that pitcher is going to be back soon, and he could be a secret weapon for the team.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about some of the best-kept secrets in baseball. For the Rays, it was right-hander Ryan Pepiot .
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Coming into the year, there was a lot of talk about some of the changes that Tampa Bay made during the offseason. This was a franchise that made a lot of moves not only in free agency, but in the trade market as well.
One of the areas that they really shook up was the starting rotation. With the return of Shane McClanahan from injury, the franchise was undoubtedly hoping that he would be able to return as the ace of the staff. However, the real shocking move came when they elected to trade Shane Baz for a haul of prospects from the Baltimore Orioles .
Since the right-hander was under team control for multiple years still, that move came as a shocker. In order to replace him, the team signed both Steven Matz and Nick Martinez to short-term deals to provide depth and a veteran presence.
With the rotation looking strong on paper, one of the returning pitchers for the team was Pepiot. The right-hander is coming off a nice campaign in 2025, and while he is on the injured list to begin the year, he has the potential to be a really solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
When looking at the roster, it is the rotation that has the potential to be the greatest strength for the team. If Pepiot can come back healthy and perform well, he will be a significant part of that success.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rays/onsi as Rays' Pitcher Could Provide Spark Upon His Return From Injured List .
