ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays swept the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium and returned home with nearly four times as many days off as games played heading into the American League Championship Series, giving manager Kevin Cash unusual flexibility to reset his pitching staff before Monday night’s Game 1 at Tropicana Field.

The Rays will have logged 11 days off against just three gamedays in the two weeks between their regular-season finale in Philadelphia on Sept. 27 and ALCS Game 1 — a stretch that includes a full workout Friday at Tropicana Field and an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, hours before their ALCS opponent plays a winner-take-all Game 5 in Cleveland.

“I think it’s a privilege. I feel like any time that you’re able to catch up on your rest, it’s a long regular season to begin with, and then these postseason games can get long and exhausting,” Cash said Friday during a Zoom call from Tropicana Field. “They get the rest, but they can turn it back on when needed.”

Cash set the tone in the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium after the sweep, delivering a message that made clear the celebration had limits. “We’ve got two more bites – two more bites on the bone! Nobody sleeps!” he told his team.

Only three relievers — not counting starters Ian Seymour and Griffin Jax, who worked out of the bullpen — took the mound during the ALDS: closer Bryan Baker, who threw three innings across three games; lefty Cam Booser, who recorded three outs in two games; and right-hander Kevin Kelly, who got one out in Game 3. The extra days give those arms time to recover while staying sharp.

“It’s all about balancing the two, like throwing too much or having too much time off. I think we’ve done a good job with these [days] like today, coming in on an ‘off-day,’” Kelly said.

Drew Rasmussen is in line to start Game 1, as he did in the ALDS, though Cash said nothing is yet official. “We’ve got a lot of conversations to talk through,” Cash said, adding that the team has “some pretty good ideas” for the ALCS pitching plan but will not finalize the rotation until the opponent is determined late Saturday.

Outfielder Jonny DeLuca said the club is not looking past the moment. “At the end of the day, we’re just going to focus on us and be in the moment,” DeLuca said.

Cash said the ALCS roster is expected to look nearly identical to the ALDS squad, though no final decisions have been made. The Rays’ ALCS opponent will be determined Saturday night, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday at Tropicana Field.