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Trade Deadline Outlook: Tampa Bay Rays

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The Rays are up next in MLBTR's team-by-team look at the upcoming trade deadline. Tampa Bay has weathered an uneven start to the season and emerged in the thick of the division race. The Rays are currently six games over .500, good for third place in the American League East but sole possession of the American League's second Wild Card spot. They're five games back of the division-leading Blue Jays.

While most clubs tend to pick a buy or sell lane, the Rays are always open to a bit of a mixed-bag approach. They're constantly working to walk the line between rebuilding and contending and are never afraid to trade from the major league roster. President of baseball operations Erik Neander and his staff will be looking to add to the roster ahead of what looks like a very likely playoff run, but the Rays will probably still get some calls on some of their pricey veterans with dwindling levels of club control.

Record: 49-43 (57.3% playoff odds, per FanGraphs)

Other series entries: Rockies, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, Marlins, Athletics, Orioles, White Sox, Nationals, Cubs

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Potential needs: Outfield, catcher, right-handed bat, another reliever

It's always tough to identify exact needs on a well-rounded club. That's the Rays in 2025, but the outfield has been a revolving door of less-than-ideal options. Kameron Misner has seen the most plate appearances of any Ray in the outfield this year, and he's batted .214/.274/.347 in 216 plate appearances there. He faded badly after a hot start and was optioned to Triple-A Durham in late June.

Each of Jake Mangum, Josh Lowe, Christopher Morel and Chandler Simpson has received between 166 and 206 plate appearances in the outfield. Mangum and Morel have hit well but done so with the help of plenty of good fortune on batted balls. Simpson is getting his second look in the majors and using his speed and elite contact skills to produce solid offense. He could lead the majors in stolen bases but has 20-grade power (on the 20-80 scale), a well below-average walk rate and shaky defense in center. Lowe was terrific in 2023, pedestrian in 2024, and is somewhere in between in 2025.

The Rays have enough outfield options that they could mix-and-match for the rest of the season, playing the hot hand and rotating outfielders based on matchups they deem favorable. It's a tactic we've seen before from manager Kevin Cash (at various places on the roster), but some more stability and more power, in particular, might be welcome. Rays outfielders have been about league-average offensively on the whole, but they're benefiting from a .339 average on balls in play and rank 27th in the majors with a .121 isolated power mark (slugging percentage minus batting average). Only the Guardians and Royals have received fewer home runs from their outfield than the Rays' total of 21.

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Rays Notes: Rasmussen, Boyle, Lowe, Kim

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Drew Rasmussen was the starting pitcher in Sunday’s 7-5 Rays win over the Twins, but Rasmussen only tossed two innings before turning things over to Joe Boyle, who was called up from Triple-A before the game.  Boyle allowed just one unearned run over five innings of work, and he has yet to allow any earned runs over 10 MLB innings this season.

The quick hook for Rasmussen wasn’t for any health reason, but rather the debut of a strategy the Rays will be deploying over the next few weeks.  As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times explains, Rasmussen has now thrown 89 1/3 innings this season, putting him on track to far exceed the 150-inning limit the Rays set for the right-hander since he missed most of the 2023-24 seasons due to an internal brace surgery.  Since he also underwent two Tommy John surgeries before even beginning his pro career, the Rays naturally wanted to be careful in managing Rasmussen’s workload in the aftermath of yet another major elbow procedure.

Since Rasmussen has delivered a 2.82 ERA this year, Tampa wants to make sure the right-hander will still have something for later in the season and into October, as the 49-41 Rays are in position for a playoff berth.  The team’s answer is to use Rasmussen as essentially an opener over his next few starts, with Boyle acting as a piggyback pitcher.

Rasmussen is happy with the plan, as “it lets us get the Joe Boyle experience, which is electric. And then also allows me to just stay on routine as well as limit some of the innings for this year.  When they brought the idea to me a couple days ago, it was something I’m on board with, obviously, because I think they are always looking out for my best interest.”

Tampa Bay’s rotation of Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, Taj Bradley, and Zack Littell has been both effective and incredibly durable.  The quintet have combined to start all but one of the Rays’ games this season — the lone exception was Boyle’s only other MLB outing of 2025, a spot start on April 13.  As a result, Boyle has had trouble working his way onto the roster, despite a 1.85 ERA, 32.9% strikeout rate, and 10.6% walk rate over 73 Triple-A frames.

Acquired from the A’s as part of the Jeffrey Springs trade back in December, Boyle appears to be the latest pitcher to find a new level of performance after joining the Rays organization.  Boyle always had a ton of velocity and racked up plenty of strikeouts, but it seems like he has now lessened the control problems that plagued his time in the Athletics farm system.  His emergence gives Tampa Bay yet another pitching weapon to bedevil opposing batters, and it will be interesting to see how Boyle is deployed beyond the end of this piggybacking experiment with Rasmussen.

Sunday’s game wasn’t without its concerns for the Rays, as Brandon Lowe left in the bottom of the third inning due to soreness in his left side.  Lowe downplayed the seriousness of the situation when speaking with Topkin and other reporters after the game, saying that the removal “feels very precautionary, as it’s a little sore.  Let’s just get off of it for a little bit and let it rest up.”

Lowe missed over a month of the 2024 season dealing with a right oblique strain, so he is no stranger to side injuries.  Even if this latest issue costs Lowe a game or two, that is vastly preferable to another long-term absence, as injuries have plagued Lowe over the last three seasons.  Lowe has stayed healthy and productive in 2025, and his .272/.324/.487 slash line and 19 home runs in 343 plate appearances earned the second baseman a spot on his second All-Star team.

In other infield news, Ha-Seong Kim made his Rays debut on July 3, but that remains his lone appearance due to a cramp in his right calf.  It doesn’t seem like the injury is too serious, as Kim took part in most normal baseball activities prior to Sunday’s game.  Kim is only just back in action after his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery cost him over half of the 2025 campaign, so it makes sense that the Rays don’t want to push him too soon.

Rays Sign Peter Strzelecki To Minor League Contract

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The Rays have signed right-hander Peter Strzelecki to a minor league deal, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports.  Strzelecki was just released from a previous minors contract with the Pirates earlier this week, and he’ll now try for a fresh start with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham.

It has been a rough season for Strzelecki, who battled some injuries and posted a 9.90 ERA over 20 innings and 16 appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis.  The righty’s walk rate ballooned to 11.8% and his strikeout rate was only 14.7%, which is far below the solid K% numbers Strzelecki has posted throughout the rest of his minor league career.

That was enough for Pittsburgh to part ways with the 30-year-old, and it marks the third straight year Strzelecki has struggled against Triple-A batters.  Interestingly, he has posted much more respectable numbers during his time in the Show, with a 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 8.4% walk rate in 83 2/3 innings with the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Guardians from 2022-24.  Cleveland dealt Strzelecki to the Pirates in advance of last year’s non-tender deadline, as his lack of minor league options makes him a trickier player to keep on a big league roster.

The Rays will take a look at Strzelecki and see if he can be the latest in a long line of pitchers revived by Tampa Bay’s player development factory.  Should he get the call to the majors, Strzelecki will be in familiar territory, as he played college ball at the University of South Florida.

Rays Outright Forrest Whitley

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The Rays announced that right-hander Forrest Whitley was outrighted to Triple-A Durham. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times first reported the move. Whitley, once the sport’s top pitching prospect, went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend.

It was the second DFA of the season for the former first-round pick. The Astros had carried Whitley on their 40-man roster for years as he battled injuries and struggled to find the strike zone. They finally pulled the plug in mid-June, flipping him to the Rays after taking him off the 40-man roster. Whitley continued to struggle in his brief run in Kevin Cash’s bullpen. He surrendered 10 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits and a pair of walks in 4 2/3 innings.

The 6’7″ righty still has a power arsenal led by a 96 MPH fastball. Yet he has given up 18 earned runs in 15 1/3 major league innings over the past two seasons. His 8% swinging strike rate is well below-average. Whitley managed a 1.89 ERA across 33 1/3 Triple-A frames as recently as last season, but he’s out of minor league options. A claiming team would have needed to carry him on the MLB roster.

Whitley had never been outrighted and doesn’t have three years of MLB service time. He must accept the assignment and report to Durham. The Rays’ player development staff will have a few months to try to get him on track. He would qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season if Tampa Bay doesn’t select him back onto the MLB roster before then.

Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

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The Rays have reinstated infielder Ha-Seong Kim from the 60-day injured list, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Infielder Curtis Mead has been optioned as the corresponding move. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy.

Kim, 29, spent the 2021 to 2024 seasons with the Padres. He didn’t hit much in his first North American season but was a bit above average at the plate in the next three. He slashed a combined .250/.336/.385 from 2022 through 2024, which translated to a wRC+ of 106.

That production made him a very valuable player, when combined with his speed and defense. He also stole 72 bases in 88 tries in that 2022-24 stretch. He played the three positions to the left of first base, with his glovework highly rated at all three spots. Put together, FanGraphs credited him with 10.5 wins above replacement for that span.

He seemed to be trending towards a nice market in the most recent offseason, with some suggesting a nine-figure deal as a possibility, before a shoulder injury intervened. He sustained the injury diving into first base on a pickoff attempt in August of last year. He ultimately underwent surgery in October, which put his 2025 timeline into question. Agent Scott Boras suggested late-April return would be possible. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller floated a more nebulous “May, June, July” timeline.

That uncertainty naturally impacted his market and it seemed likely he would sign either a one-year deal or a two-year deal with an opt-out. Surprisingly, it was the Rays who ultimately took him off the board. In February, they signed him to a two-year, $29MM deal with a $13MM salary this year and $16MM next year, though with Kim having the opportunity to opt out after the first season.

That $29MM guarantee is the largest the Rays have ever given to a free agent position player but they are probably not planning to pay the whole thing. The ideal outcome here is likely that Kim returns and plays well enough to opt out, in search of a long-term deal. At that point, they can make him a qualifying offer and collect draft pick compensation as he departs. That’s contingent on him playing well over the next few months, of course.

In the meantime, he can help the Rays fortify a relatively weak position as they gear up for a playoff push. They Rays are 48-39, putting them in possession of a Wild Card spot and just half a game back of the Blue Jays and Yankees in the super tight American League East division.

They have done that despite getting little production from the shortstop position. As a team, they have a .201/.284/.280 line from that spot, translating to a 63 wRC+. Both José Caballero and Taylor Walls have produced good defense and stolen some bases but without providing much punch from the plate. If Kim can return to his old form, he should provide an upgrade there while bumping those two into bench infield roles.

Photo courtesy of Chadd Cady, Imagn Images

Rays Notes: Kim, Bigge, McClanahan

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The Rays signed infielder Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year, $29MM contract back in February but he has yet to play a game for the club after undergoing shoulder surgery late last year. That may be close to changing, however, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Kim is set to be evaluated for a possible return to the majors after he plays what could be his final rehab game with Triple-A Durham later today. Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested that the club is “very encouraged” by Kim’s progress, but president of baseball operations Erik Neander made clear that an immediate return to the majors is not guaranteed.

“We’ll get through these next three days and then just get an idea of where he’s at,” Neander said, as relayed by Topkin. “If he needs a little more time, we’ll be there to provide it. If he feels like he’s close and ready, then we’ll keep an open mind. We’re hopefully closing in on an activation but still kind of day-to-day to see how he responds to the added workload.”

When he does return, Kim will be joining a resurgent Rays club that has jumped out to a 47-36 record, just half a game back of the Yankees for control of the AL East thanks to a 17-8 run in the month of June. While the team has largely been firing on all cylinders in recent weeks, they have been forced to rely on somewhat middling production out of the shortstop position as Jose Caballero and Taylor Walls split time at the position. Kim is a 106 wRC+ hitter over the 2022-24 seasons and a Gold Glove caliber defender all over the infield, which should be a substantial upgrade over that duo’s lackluster hitting while maintaining the quality defense Tampa has gotten from the position.

Topkin also writes that right-hander Hunter Bigge’s recovery from surgery to repair multiple facial fractures after he was struck by a 105 mph foul ball off the bat of Adley Rutschman is going well enough that the Rays do not expect the surgery to interfere with his ability to return this season. Bigge remains on a soft food diet and has not yet been cleared for physical activity amid concerns that it would put stress on the surgically repaired areas of his face, but he’ll start playing catch once cleared to do so. Of course, Bigge was already shelved by a lat strain when he was struck by Rutschman’s foul ball, so Bigge will have to resume rehabbing that prior injury once he’s cleared for physical activity. Prior to those injuries, Bigge was making himself a major part of the Rays bullpen with a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings this year.

In other positive news, Topkin notes that southpaw Shane McClanahan is expected to throw a full-distance bullpen session this coming Tuesday. It will be the southpaw’s first full bullpen since he paused his rehab earlier this month to visit a nerve specialist. The lefty is surely still a ways away from a return given that he hasn’t resumed facing live hitters and would need a significant rehab assignment after such a long layoff from big league games, but with the Rays now firmly in postseason contention it’s not hard to imagine McClanahan taking a big league mound for the club at some point this year. Should McClanahan make it back in time for October, he’d form a terrifying one-two punch at the top of the Rays rotation alongside Drew Rasmussen.

Rays Designate Forrest Whitley, Promote Joe Rock

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The Rays announced that right-hander Forrest Whitley has been designated for assignment.  Replacing Whitley on the active roster is left-hander Joe Rock, who has been called up from Triple-A Durham to make his first appearance on a big league roster.

It was just over two weeks ago that Tampa Bay acquired Whitley in a trade with Houston, after the Astros also DFA’d the right-hander.  The move marked the end of Whitley’s nearly nine-year run in the Astros organization, as the 17th overall pick of the 2016 draft dealt with a bunch of injuries and a 50-game PED suspension (in 2018) over the course of what had been a star-crossed career.  Whitley didn’t make his MLB debut until 2024 when he made three appearances for Houston, and the Astros opted to finally move on after the righty posted a 12.27 ERA over 7 1/3 innings this season.

Things haven’t gone much better for Whitley since the trade, as he has a 15.43 ERA in 4 2/3 innings over five appearances with the Rays.  All of the damage came in the final two of those appearances — Whitley didn’t retire any of six batters faced and was charged with all six runs in a disastrous outing on June 22, and he was tagged for four runs (two earned) in an inning of work in yesterday’s 22-8 Rays loss to the Orioles.

As you might expect from such a football-esque score, the Rays ran through a lot of their bullpen last night, so Rock represents a fresh arm for the relief corps.  Whitley is out of minor league options, so the Rays had to first go the DFA route before Whitley can be moved to Triple-A and off the 40-man roster.  Tampa Bay could work out another trade to send Whitley elsewhere during the DFA period, or an interested team could simply claim him away on waivers.

Whitley’s prospect pedigree is such that another club might well pick him, though his out-of-options status complicates matters.  It could be that Whitley might be in for a string of claims/trades and designations, unless he shows enough immediate results to get himself a longer look in a team’s bullpen.  In the small sample of his time with the Rays, he threw his cutter far more often (51% of the time) than he did during his previous MLB stints with the Astros, though that attempted fix didn’t last long.

Rock will be making his Major League debut whenever he officially appears in a game.  The southpaw has a notable draft position in his own right, as the Rockies selected 68th overall of the 2021 draft.  Tampa acquired Rock in a trade in March 2024, and added him to its 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.  After posting a 4.58 ERA in 137 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, Rock has pretty similar numbers in Durham this season, delivering a 4.81 ERA along with a 19.8% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate that are each steps backwards from his metrics in 2024.

Rock has worked primarily as a starter during his minor league career, but could be viewed as an innings-eating long reliever in the Show.  MLB Pipeline (which rates Rock as the 21st-best prospect in Tampa Bay’s farm system) suggests that relief work might be in Rock’s future, as his 55-grade slider and fastball could be an effective one-two punch coming out of the pen.

Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

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Wander Franco has been found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic, according to reporting from Juan Arturo Recio and Jeff Passan of ESPN. He has received a two-year suspended sentence and will have to serve the sentence if he doesn’t meet certain conditions. The primary condition is that he does not approach minors with sexual intentions.

In August of 2023, investigators in the D.R. began looking into accusations that the Rays shortstop had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl while he was 21. The age of consent in that country is 18. In July of 2024, Franco was formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor, as well as human trafficking. In September of last year, it was reported that the case would proceed to trial.

Major League Baseball placed Franco on administrative leave in August last year when the accusations first emerged, standard procedure for players who are being investigated under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He was reinstated for the offseason in a procedural move but placed back on administrative leave when the 2024 campaign began. He was moved to the restricted list in July of 2024, at which point he was no longer receiving big league pay or service time.

Throughout the proceedings, accusations had also emerged against the girl’s mother, that she received payments from Franco worth thousands of dollars to remain silent about her daughter’s abuse. Per Recio and Passan, she has been found guilty of trafficking her daughter and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Major League Baseball released a statement on the verdict today, relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “Major League Baseball is proud to have a collectively bargained Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that reflects our commitment to these issues. We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.” Per that policy, the league can impose discipline even in the absence of legal charges.

Back in 2021, Franco and the Rays signed an 11-year, $182MM extension which was set to run through 2032. In the wake of his conviction, it’s unclear if he’ll be able to get the work visa necessary for him to return to the United States.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images.

Rays, MLB Have Discussed Potential Playoff Hosting Plans

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At 44-35, the Rays are firmly in the postseason mix. They’re one game back of the Yankees in the AL East and in possession of the American League’s top Wild Card spot. FanGraphs gives them more than a 70% chance of playing in October.

That’d present a challenge for MLB because of their stadium situation. The Rays are playing at an A-ball facility after last fall’s hurricane damage rendered Tropicana Field unplayable. Their interim home, George M. Steinbrenner Field, has a capacity a little above 11,000. The A’s are playing in a similarly small ballpark but have essentially no chance of making the playoffs this season, at least delaying their decision by a year. Every other MLB stadium has a capacity of at least 34,000.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Rays officials have had preliminary conversations with the league office about how they’d handle potential home playoff games. He writes that it’s possible the league will consider Steinbrenner Field satisfactory for potential Wild Card and Division Series but could push for a change in venue if the Rays advance as far as the AL Championship Series.

The concerns go beyond the optics of a small playoff crowd. The league could have difficulty accommodating the larger broadcasting and media contingents, as the field also has a very small press box. Rosenthal’s piece is worth a full read, as he goes into specifics about the logistical challenges that a smaller field present for the league’s broadcast partners.

The Players Association may also prefer a move to a stadium with more seating. Players’ postseason shares are a percentage of playoff gate receipts. Games at Steinbrenner Field will obviously have artificially low attendance numbers. It wouldn’t be a huge percentage of overall playoff gate revenue, but it would take on added importance if the Rays make a deep run. Playing the Rays’ scheduled home games at a neutral site would presumably generate more attendance, though it’d negate whatever on-field advantages they get from playing in front of their home crowd.

It may all end up being a moot point. The Rays could miss the playoffs. If they get in as the second or third Wild Card team, they’d play on the road for their entire three-game series in the first round (as all fifth and sixth seeds do). Nevertheless, the league will need to have a plan in place in advance of the beginning of the playoffs. That could also inform how they’d handle things if the A’s make the postseason before the scheduled opening of their Las Vegas stadium in 2028.

The Rays hope to return to Tropicana Field next season. Their lease at the Trop runs for three more years once it’s again playable. Owner Stuart Sternberg is reportedly in talks with a group led by a Jacksonville-based real estate developer about a sale of the franchise. That group is expected to seek a new stadium in the Tampa Bay region for the long term if the sale is finalized.

AL East Notes: Bigge, Kim, Scherzer, Westburg, Gil, Williams, Weaver

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In excellent news out of Tampa Bay, right-handed reliever Hunter Bigge is recovering well after undergoing surgery to repair multiple facial fractures (per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Bigge was hit in the face by a 105-mph foul ball off the bat of Adley Rutschman while watching Thursday’s game from the Rays’ dugout. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters today (including Topkin) that Bigge has been released from the hospital and returned home. There is no doubt the incident was terrifying, not just for Bigge but for everyone in either dugout at Steinbrenner Field. While Cash acknowledged that raising the screens in front of the dugouts probably isn’t an option, Topkin reports that the skipper will meet with his players to talk about potential adjustments. “We’ll talk through it,” said Cash. “And see what we can do.”

Bigge, 27, has not played since May 1 due to a right lat strain. Through his first 15 games in 2025, the hard-throwing righty pitched to a 2.40 ERA and a 3.99 SIERA. Indeed, he has been highly effective since he came to Tampa Bay as part of the trade return for Isaac Paredes. He has a 2.48 ERA and 3.22 SIERA in 28 appearances with the Rays. He does not yet have a timetable to get back to game action.

In additional Rays news, Ha-Seong Kim appeared in a rehab game yesterday, going 1-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases, and a run scored. It was his first game in over a week; as Topkin notes, the Rays pulled him off his last rehab assignment on June 12 with right hamstring tightness. Kim’s strong offensive showing last night was surely good news for Tampa Bay. However, he played DH, and as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, the team’s biggest questions aren’t about his hitting or his baserunning but his ability to play shortstop. The Rays have already made it clear that they won’t reinstate Kim until he is ready to provide his typical Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop on a daily basis. So, tonight’s game, in which he’s playing shortstop, will be a much better test of his readiness to return. If it goes well, it might not be long before he finally makes his Rays debut. Topkin suggests Kim is unlikely to require the maximum 20 days of rehab before he is back with the big league club.

More from around the AL East…

  • Max Scherzer dominated Triple-A competition in his latest rehab start on Wednesday, striking out eight of the 17 batters he faced in 4 1/3 scoreless innings. However, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that Scherzer’s “thumb/hand” was sore following the outing, so the Blue Jays have decided to push back his next bullpen session to Sunday, instead of today as originally planned. This won’t prevent him from rejoining Toronto’s rotation next week – presuming no further setbacks – but it now seems as if he’s looking at a Wednesday or Thursday return, instead of starting the series opener against the Guardians on Tuesday. The Jays have struggled to fill his spot in the rotation ever since he exited early from his first start of the season, so his return will be a highly anticipated event.
  • Orioles second and third baseman Jordan Westburg came back from a long stint on the injured list just last week, but he had a new injury scare this afternoon. He jammed his left hand into the bag as he stole second base and later exited the game. Following the contest, manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun) that Westburg had indeed jammed his fingers on the play, but X-rays were negative. The team is hoping it’s just a day-to-day injury and won’t force Westburg back to the IL. The All-Star infielder has been hitting very well since his return from a hamstring strain.
  • Luis Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, has been out all season with a lat strain, but he’s making good progress toward his return to the Yankees rotation. Speaking to reporters before today’s game, manager Aaron Boone spoke highly of Gil’s performance in a live batting practice session (per The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty). Boone did not offer a timeline for the right-hander’s rehab, but he did compare Gil to a trade deadline addition, which suggests he could be back on the mound in late July or early August. Despite several major injuries, the Yankees rank eighth in starters’ ERA and fourth in starters’ SIERA this season. Gil’s return should make an already strong rotation even stronger.
  • In more Yankees news, Boone revealed on Friday that Devin Williams and Luke Weaver will share closing duties going forward (per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo). Williams is the bigger name with more experience in the role; he’s a two-time All-Star with 77 career saves. However, he struggled with his new team early in 2025, and Weaver stepped up to take over the closing job. Then, Williams moved back into his old ninth-inning role in June when Weaver hit the IL with a hamstring strain. He earned four saves in four chances over seven appearances, striking out 10, walking none, and giving up just one earned run. So, now that Weaver is healthy, it’s understandable why Boone wants to give both pitchers save opportunities. Weaver struggled in his first game back, giving up two hits, a walk, and a home run, but he didn’t seem overly concerned, telling Kuty, “I felt like my stuff was as good as it’s been all year, if not better.”
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