ST. PETERSBURG — Brody Hopkins, the Tampa Bay Rays’ top-ranked pitching prospect, made his major league debut at Tropicana Field on Sunday, throwing the 12 hardest pitches of the game — 11 four-seam fastballs clocking in at 99.7 mph or higher — as the Rays look to bolster their bullpen for the postseason.
“Exciting. Everything that I’ve ever dreamed of,” Hopkins said afterward. “I was just excited to be out there, excited to get it out of the way. Thought I’d be a little more nervous than I was, but just felt like I was just ready for it.”
The 24-year-old right-hander walked the first batter he faced on four pitches, allowed a two-run homer to Isaac Paredes, then fanned Yainer Diaz for his first big league strikeout to end the frame. Hopkins also mixed in big-breaking curveballs and mid-90s cutters.
“Excited for Brody,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Man, it is impressive stuff, with the velocity and the shape to the breaking balls. We’ll get him back out there real soon.”
Hopkins got the call from Durham manager Morgan Ensberg early Saturday morning and joined the club in time for Saturday night’s 3-2 win over the Astros — one night after the Rays clinched a postseason berth. More than a dozen friends and family members made the trip to Tropicana Field to watch his debut.
“Didn’t really have time to process it in the moment. Still kind of just doesn’t feel real, like being out there and just being at the Trop, watching the games,” Hopkins said. “I’m just excited to get the ball whenever.”
The Rays’ No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, was originally acquired from Seattle as part of Tampa Bay’s return for Randy Arozarena in July 2024. He spent most of this season as a starter, posting a 5.40 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 87 walks in 85 innings over 22 outings from March 28 through Aug. 6. After transitioning to a one-inning relief role, Hopkins allowed three runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out 16 of 39 batters across nine innings and nine appearances for Durham after Aug. 15. He touched 102.1 mph with his fastball during his final minor league appearance.
“Just not really thinking. Just going up there and just ripping it and letting it eat. Just kind of putting all my force and emotion into [throwing it] straight to the target,” Hopkins said. “Not really trying to waver, do anything else, not trying to be cute. Just throw it as hard as I can right down the middle.”
Hopkins and fellow prospect Ty Johnson are now auditioning for spots on the Rays’ postseason roster, with Hopkins’ triple-digit velocity and Johnson’s swing-and-miss slider offering weapons otherwise absent from Tampa Bay’s bullpen.
“When you go into postseason baseball, or with the baseball we’re going to play today and moving forward, you try to catch lightning in a bottle a little bit,” Cash said. “I think that’s fair to say for both of them.”