(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays have to balance current needs with the future.
Yes, they are the best team in baseball with a 20-3 record, but they got here by thinking about the present and preparing for the future.
That’s why they are announcing a roster move that might seem puzzling to some, but it’s actually a calculated transaction with short-term needs in mind.
“#Rays are sending impressive rookie starter Taj Bradley back to Triple-A, in big part to transition him to a 5-day schedule as part of continued development. He had been on a 6-day schedule. Move also allows more opportunity for Chirinos/Fleming. Also Siri activated, Brujan down,” the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin tweeted.
#Rays are sending impressive rookie starter Taj Bradley back to Triple-A, in big part to transition him to a 5-day schedule as part of continued development. He had been on a 6-day schedule. Move also allows more opportunity for Chirinos/Fleming. Also Siri activated, Brujan down
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) April 25, 2023
Bradley took possession of a rotation spot once Zach Eflin and Jeffrey Springs got hurt.
The plan was for him to start out at Triple-A and stay there for at least a few weeks, but injuries moved up his timeline.
He has been impressive for the Rays in three starts and 15.2 innings, with a 3.52 ERA and an even better 2.60 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching).
His 2/23 BB/K ratio is indicative of his success and a good tool to predict he is going to have a great MLB career.
He is starting every six days, though, and the Rays need him to slowly but surely change his routine so he can get used to pitching every five days like a normal MLB starter.
He will need to prove he can handle the workload for at least a few starts in Triple-A, and then he will come back to the Rays’ rotation because he is much more talented than Josh Fleming and Yonny Chirinos, the guys who will replace him for now.
Bradley has a legitimate shot at the Rookie of the Year award in the American League if the Rays don’t take too long to call him back up.
The post Rays Send Down Impressive Rookie To Prepare Him For The Future appeared first on The Cold Wire.