BALTIMORE — The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated right-hander Manuel Rodríguez from the 60-day injured list before their series finale against the Orioles at Camden Yards, returning a reliever who posted a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 71 appearances in 2024 and ‘25 before a flexor repair procedure sidelined him for more than a year.
“Really happy, really excited. First and foremost, thank you to God for helping me in this process, to my family, to my girlfriend,” Rodríguez said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “It was a long process, but short at the same time. So, just really excited to be here and, again, just going to do whatever to help the team.”
Rodríguez last pitched in the Majors on June 9, 2025. He was placed on the injured list with a right forearm strain, attempted a comeback with two Triple-A rehab appearances last July, then underwent the flexor repair procedure on Aug. 8, 2025. Over 68 innings before the injury, he had become one of Tampa Bay’s most dependable relievers.
“Happy to have him back. He worked really hard on his rehab. The rehab went pretty seamless,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Generally with guys that go on the IL, there’s always some hiccups along the way, but give Manny a lot of credit and our training staff credit for getting him back. Now, [we’ll] see if he can help us here for the next five, six weeks.”
Rodríguez spent about a month on a Minor League rehab assignment, advancing from the Rookie-level Florida Complex League to Single-A Charleston before making eight appearances for Triple-A Durham. In 10 total Minor League outings, he recorded a 9.00 ERA, allowing nine runs — eight earned — on 10 hits and four walks while striking out 14 in eight innings. He checked key durability boxes, working more than one inning on Aug. 5 and pitching back-to-back days on Aug. 14-15.
“Once I saw the velo was back to where it always has been, I got a lot of confidence in that, and I kind of knew I was heading in the right direction,” Rodríguez said.
Cash said the right-hander’s fastball velocity was “in line” with where it had been before the injury. The Rays’ bullpen already features closer Bryan Baker, setup men Kevin Kelly and Tyler Wells, and lefties Cam Booser and Garrett Cleavinger, but Cash made clear there would be no easing-in period. “He’s going to have to come in and get big outs,” Cash said, “because we play a lot of tight ballgames.”
To make room on the roster, Tampa Bay designated right-hander Chris Roycroft for assignment. Roycroft recorded his first Major League save in 11 outings for the Rays but posted a 6.52 ERA over 19 1/3 innings, most of them in lower-leverage situations.