ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays’ three biggest injury concerns heading into the postseason have been cleared, with reliever Tyler Wells, left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and left fielder Chandler Simpson all participating in workouts at Tropicana Field ahead of Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night.
Wells, who was sidelined by forearm tightness after pitching Sept. 12, said testing revealed no structural damage and that simulated game action on Tuesday and Thursday put any remaining doubts to rest. “The last couple days have been great. Feeling good and ready to contribute,” Wells said. “The most important part is feeling healthy and feeling good, and came out of that feeling great. So overall, just really happy about kind of the way that things are trending.”
The Rays acquired Wells from the Baltimore Orioles before the trade deadline to serve as a late-inning option in front of closer Bryan Baker. In 14 appearances with Tampa Bay, Wells posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings. Manager Kevin Cash can now deploy Wells alongside Baker, right-hander Kevin Kelly and lefty Cam Booser in high-leverage situations.
Cleavinger, out since Sept. 5 with left forearm tightness, also threw in Tuesday’s and Thursday’s simulated games. “They looked good, very much like themselves,” Cash said. “Encouraged by that.” Simpson, who exited a Sept. 25 game in Philadelphia after fouling a ball off the top of his right foot, tested the injury in Thursday’s scrimmage by bunting, running at full speed and going from first to third base. “Felt great,” Simpson said. “We’re all good to go.”
Cash named Drew Rasmussen as the Game 1 starter but declined to announce a starter for Game 2, saying the decision would depend on how the series unfolds. “How we’re going to line them up will be dependent on how we get through Game 1,” Cash said. The remaining four starters — Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour — are expected to be on the ALDS roster and will likely see at least one of them used out of the bullpen.
The Rays must finalize their 26-man roster by Saturday morning. The club finished the regular season carrying 14 active pitchers and must trim that group to 11 or 12 while retaining all five starters, with Wells and Cleavinger likely returning to the active mix. On the position-player side, the only remaining question is whether to carry 14 or 15 hitters, which could open a roster spot for “catching closer” Kenny Piper to add pinch-hitting and pinch-running flexibility.