Rasmussen earned the save against the Blue Jays on Saturday, striking out three over two perfect innings.
Rasmussen totaled 28 pitches over two innings and earned his first save since 2021. The 29-year-old has posted a 2.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 29:6 K:BB across 24.2 innings this season while working as an opener and reliever.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Opening Saturday's game
Rotowire
Rasmussen will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game versus the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rasmussen has put up a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 19.1 innings this season. He'll likely be asked to work the first one or two innings of Saturday's contest before turning the game over to Tyler Alexander, who is expected to work in bulk relief.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Takes first loss
Rotowire
Rasmussen (0-1) allowed one earned run in two hits and a walk while striking out one over 1.2 innings to take the loss against the Phillies.
Rasmussen has pitched in a multi-inning relief role since being activated from the injured list Aug. 7. He has been effective for the most part, turning in eight scoreless appearances in 11 chances while also tallying two holds. Even in Wednesday's loss, Rasmussen wasn't hit particularly hard as he surrendered two singles to account for the majority of the damage against him.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Serving as opener Wednesday
Rotowire
Rasmussen will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Rasmussen will be making his third start of the season, but as was the case on the previous two occasions, he'll likely be limited to one or two innings. Tyler Alexander is expected to be deployed as a bulk reliever behind Rasmussen.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Opening Sunday's game
Rotowire
Rasmussen will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against Arizona, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rasmussen will make his second start of the season Sunday, though he's expected to pitch just one or two innings before handing the ball off to bulk reliever Tyler Alexander. Since completing his recovery from an internal brace procedure and returning from the 60-day injured list Aug. 7, Rasmussen has given up three earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six over five innings.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Serving as opener Saturday
Rotowire
Rasmussen is slated to serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Orioles.
After returning from the 60-day injured list Wednesday upon completing his recovery from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July, Rasmussen was summoned from the bullpen later that evening and was electric in his 2024 MLB debut, striking out three Cardinals batters over two perfect innings. Though the Rays intend to have Rasmussen slot back into the rotation in 2025, he's expected to be limited mostly to 1-to-2-inning appearances coming out of the bullpen for the rest of the current season. Though he's technically starting Saturday, Rasmussen is unlikely to work more than once through the batting order before turning the game over to lefty Tyler Alexander, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Cleared for '24 debut with Tampa
Rotowire
The Rays reinstated Rasmussen (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Rasmussen is expected to vie for a spot in the Tampa Bay rotation in 2025, but he'll be operating as a reliever down the stretch of the current season while he makes his return from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July. Though Rasmussen had a pair of Tommy John surgeries on his resume before he underwent his latest elbow operation last summer, he didn't seem to have much trouble regaining velocity or control during his rehab assignment. Over his five appearances at Triple-A Durham, Rasmussen gave up seven runs on 11 hits over 7.1 innings, but his 8:0 K:BB was encouraging. He's expected to operate as a one- or two-inning reliever for the Rays and will likely be eased back in with low-leverage work, though he could eventually push for usage in higher-leverage spots.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Set for activation Wednesday
Rotowire
The Rays will activate Rasmussen (elbow) from the 60-day injured list prior to Wednesday's game in St. Louis, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rasmussen has completed the long rehab from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow and is slated to serve as a one- or two-inning reliever for the Rays down the stretch, per Topkin. The right-hander allowed seven runs over 7.1 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment but also had an 8:0 K:BB and touched the upper-90s with his fastball. While the Rays will manage Rasmussen's workload in the final two months as a reliever this season, the plan is for him to return to a starting role in 2025.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Nearing return
Rotowire
Rasmussen (elbow) is getting close to returning from the injured list, MLB.com reports.
Rasmussen made his fifth rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Saturday and completed two innings while allowing two runs. Despite the fact that he has allowed seven earned runs across his last 3.1 frames, the Rays are expected to activate Rasmussen in the coming week. He is set to work out of the bullpen.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Throwing heat on rehab assignment
Rotowire
Rasmussen (elbow) gave up one hit and struck out a batter over a scoreless inning during his rehab appearance Wednesday with Triple-A Durham.
Rasmussen has tossed a pair of scoreless frames over his first two rehab outings with Durham and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of rust as he makes his way back from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow in July of 2023. Not only has he yet to issue a walk, but he's also been flashing premium velocity on his rehab assignment; six of his 16 pitches Wednesday clocked in at over 96 miles per hour, and he maxed out at 98.3 mph. Though the Rays envision Rasmussen slotting back into the rotation in 2025, he'll be joining the big club as a reliever this season once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Sharp in first rehab outing
Rotowire
Rasmussen (elbow) recorded a strikeout as part of a 1-2-3 first inning in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Durham.
Per Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com, Rasmussen touched 99 miles per hour with his fastball and spotted 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes in the rehab outing, his first competitive action at any level since he underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last July. Though the right-hander is expected to prepare for a starting role with the big club heading into the 2025 season, the Rays will ease him back from elbow surgery as a multi-inning reliever in 2024. Rasmussen will likely make at least a few more appearances in the minors before the Rays bring him back from the 60-day injured list, likely in early-to-mid August.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Tosses bullpen session
Rotowire
Rasmussen (elbow) was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday at the Rays' spring training facility, MLB.com reports.
An MLB.com report earlier this month suggested that Rasmussen had been slated to pitch in an extended spring training game May 20, but it's unclear if that actually came to fruition. In any case, Rasmussen's ability to step back on a mound Tuesday represents a positive step forward in his recovery from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow July 24, 2023. Though the hybrid procedure is designed to accelerate Rasmussen's recovery timeline compared to Tommy John surgery, expect the Rays to ease him along slowly through his throwing program, given he previously underwent two Tommy John surgeries in his career. President of baseball operations Erik Neander said in spring training that Rasmussen could be an option to rejoin the big-league pitching staff in the latter months of the 2024 season if all goes well in his rehab program.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Lands on 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Rays placed Rasmussen (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
Rasmussen underwent an internal brace procedure in July and isn't expected to return until late in the season, so the Rays will stash him away on the IL for the time being. Rasmussen's roster spot will be given to Amed Rosario, who signed with Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Late-season return expected
Rotowire
Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander indicated Tuesday that he doesn't expect Rasmussen (elbow) back until well into the second half of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Neander listed July or August as a timetable for Jeffrey Springs (elbow) and added that Rasmussen's return isn't expected until sometime after that. The right-hander underwent an internal brace procedure in July and probably can't be counted on as an impact fantasy option again until 2025.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Rasmussen (elbow) signed a one-year, $1.8625 million contract with the Rays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
A right flexor strain put an early end to Rasmussen's season in May, and the 28-year-old righty underwent an internal brace procedure in July that will cause him to miss the first half of 2024. Rasmussen has been a key part of the Rays' rotation since joining the team in 2021, but his fantasy value going forward will be dependent on how well he's able to perform post-injury.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Out until middle of next year
Rotowire
Manager Kevin Cash said Saturday that Rasmussen (elbow) will undergo an internal brace procedure and won't return until the middle of next season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays had previously hoped that Rasmussen would be able to return late in this season after he hit the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain in mid-May, but that won't be the case. The righty will avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery for the third time in his career, but not by a wide margin. The internal brace alternative is a similar surgery and carries a recovery time that's at best only somewhat shorter.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: To 60-day IL with flexor strain
Rotowire
Rasmussen was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Rays on Friday with a right flexor strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rasmussen just tossed seven shutout innings against the Yankees on Thursday, but evidently he must have felt something in his elbow and/or forearm after the outing. He's hoping to avoid surgery, per Topkin, but will be facing a lengthy absence regardless. Rasmussen has already had Tommy John surgery twice. It's a major blow to a rotation that has already lost Jeffrey Springs to Tommy John surgery and is still awaiting the season debut of Tyler Glasnow (oblique). Taj Bradley has struggled in his last few starts at Triple-A Durham but could still be an obvious candidate to replace Rasmussen in the Tampa Bay rotation.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Fans seven in win over Reds
Rotowire
Rasmussen (3-1) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing three hits and three walks over five scoreless innings in an 8-0 victory over the Reds. He struck out seven.
The right-hander got staked to a 6-0 lead before he set foot on the mound, but Rasmussen gave Cincy no glimmers of hope, firing 51 of 78 pitches for strikes before hitting the showers. The 27-year-old rebounded nicely from a shaky outing against the Blue Jays, and Rasmussen will take a 2.01 ERA and 26:7 K:BB through 22.2 innings into his next start, likely to come next week at home against the Astros.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Runs into Jays buzzsaw
Rotowire
Rasmussen (2-1) gave up five earned runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out four in 4.1 innings Friday in Toronto. He took the loss.
After dominating a couple rebuilding clubs (Oakland and Washington) in his first two starts, Rasmussen faced a much tougher challenge against a strong Jays lineup in a hitter-friendly park and it showed in the box score. Rasmussen should still provide plenty of fantasy value over the rest of the season, but this outing showed that he's not necessarily a must-start option.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Sharp in win
Rotowire
Rasmussen (2-0) earned the win Sunday, allowing one hit and no walks over seven scoreless innings against the Athletics. He struck out eight.
Rasmussen has had a pair of favorable matchups to begin the season, as he struck out seven in six scoreless frames against the Nationals on Monday prior to Sunday's gem against Oakland. Regardless of his opponents, he's allowed just three baserunners while striking out 15 in 13 scoreless innings to earn back-to-back wins. The righty posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 28 starts last year, and he's shown no signs of slowing down in 2023. Rasmussen tentatively lines up for a slightly tougher test on the road against Toronto his next time out, but he's still a solid fantasy play given his dominance over his first two starts.
