Is it possible for the Rays to salvage their season?

TAMPA – When the Tampa Bay Rays put up seven runs in the fourth inning during a victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Aug 5, the accomplishment was an aberration.

So unlikely for the Rays to reach such a crooked number that a once powerful offense seems to be, for a brief and fleeting moment, resuscitated. Add a dramatic alteration to the starting rotation and the Rays appear, over the final two months of the season, barely keeping their heads above water.

Just over one month ago, here’s a team with a proud and accomplished history, and again central to post-season conversations. Then, a precipitous drop in both achievement and placement within the American League East standings. Beginning a series in Seattle on August 8, the Rays were 57-59 and four and one-half games from the final AL wild-card spot. To reach this promised land, the Rays need to leapfrog over Cleveland, Texas and Kansas City to qualify for October baseball.

Given the quandary of an inconsistent offense and a new composition of the starting rotation, the Rays hope of playing meaningful baseball in October is more a vision than reality. Since July 1, Tampa has scored seven or more runs in a game 14 times within a span of 57 games. These include 10 runs in an 11-10 loss to the Marlins and eight runs in a 22-8 defeat to Baltimore. In this stretch, the Rays scored less than seven runs in 43 games and now find themselves on the brink of falling into baseball’s abyss.

The Rays finished July winning seven of the 25 games and August is not much better. For the current month, Tampa Bay is 3-3 and continues a challenging road trip with stops in Seattle, Sacramento and San Francisco. The Rays do not return home until Aug. 19 to face the New York Yankees.

“We’re at a point right now where we’re not able to overcome adversity,” manager Kevin Cash told mlb.com. “If we do not make a play defensively, we don’t overcome it. If we don’t match a pitch, we’re not overcoming it. We’ve got guys in base and opportunity and we’re not getting the big hit. So it’s kind of a snowball effect. It’s the opposite of where we were (during a 25-9 period in June and early July),”

Considering the quest for post-season play, two factors enter the equation.

First, the personnel factor.

In a manner of a few days, the catching department underwent a complete overhaul. Veteran Danny Jansen was dealt to Milwaukee, and Matt Theiss was designated for assignment. Then, the starting rotation was reduced by one-third. That’s when the club traded Zack Littell to Cincinnati and Taj Bradley to Minnesota. The expectation here is that Joe Boyle, acquired from the Athletics during the last off-season and veteran lefty Shane McClelland could be ready for the final weeks of the season.

The pair would complement starters Ryan Peoiot, Drew Rasmussen, and Shane Baz. While the season began with encouragement, Baz has fallen on difficult times. After beating Kansas City 8-3 on June 26, Baz had not won. His record over this period is 0-5 and two no-decisions.

As well, the offense does not have a true power hitter capable of carrying a team. First baseman Jonathan Aranda, hitting .316, is out with a broken hand and Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz are the remaining two in the Tampa Bay lineup capable of any sustained, power production.

During the recent trade deadline period, the Rays’ desire to play “small ball” was compromised. That’s because they traded Jose Caballero, who led the American League in steals last season and again in 2025, to the Yankees. That leaves outfielder Chander Simpson, considered the fastest player in the game, to pick up the torch.

The prospect for the Rays to remain competitive over the final two months is not strong. They need to reel off 15 wins out of 20 or 22 out of 28, and this remains slim. At this point in their season, there may not be enough games for the Rays to provide a seismic shift in the position of teams seeking a postseason appearance.

For what this is worth … once the Rays change ownership, possibly as early as next month, the future of Erik Neander, president of baseball operations, and field manager Kevin Cash could be in jeopardy. Both signed contract extensions prior to the 2024 season and job security, with Tampa Bay, appeared secured. Now with the transfer of ownership to Patrick Zalipski, a Jacksonville real estate developer, there could be changes. One possibility has Neander joining the Washington Nationals. On July 6, Mike Rizzo, the Washington general manager, and Dave Martinez, the field manager, were both fired. That could leave an opening for Neander to move into a baseball-decision position with the Nationals. Cash is highly regarded in the game and should the Rays new ownership decide to make a change, Cash would likely land somewhere in a hurry.

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