The Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement with veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel on a major league contract, The Athletic reported on Tuesday. The nine-time All-Star right-hander became a free agent when he refused a minor league assignment with the New York Mets, who designated him for assignment last week.
Many factors have contributed to the strong start, but what have we actually learned that we didn’t already expect entering the season? The Rays entered the season with a much stronger pitching outlook than they had in 2025 thanks to the additions of Martinez and Matz, along with the return to the pitcher-friendly Trop.
His dominance in the closer role for the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2015 was among the greatest four-year stretches for any closer ever. Recently, though, it has been a rough go for the soon-to-be 38-year-old veteran.
Some people are skeptical about the Tampa Bay Rays despite the level of dominance they have shown thus far this season. Entering play on May 26, they are 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East with a record of 34-17.
Not every all-timer has instant success at the next level. For many baseball players, it takes a few bumps in the road out of the gate before they ever reach stardom.
The Tampa Bay Rays have exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations that were placed on them coming into the 2026 MLB regular season. They entered played on May 25 with a 34-16 record, 4.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East.
Tampa Bay Rays star shortstop Wander Franco was found criminally responsible of the sexual abuse of a minor but was granted a judicial pardon and won't face prison time.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been excellent against American League foes and in the first game of the series throughout the 2026 season. They had an opportunity to continue those dominant performances, heading on the road to face a Baltimore Orioles team they had just swept last week.
A majority of MLB players finish their careers without a walk-off home run. For someone to do it twice in two days is the rarest of rare occurrence. For Cowser, though, he just lived out a dream with that exact scenario.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone (unless you are a Canadian, like me, in which case, happy very belated Victoria Day). The Rays are facing familiar foes this week, as they head to Baltimore to take on the Orioles.
The only two things rarer in modern-day baseball than the four-homer game is the Triple Crown and the unassisted triple play. The former is, of course, done over an entire season, while there's a large level of lucky in the unassisted triple play.
Former Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been sentenced after being alleged to have sexually exploited a minor. Franco was found guilty of sexual and psychological exploitation of a minor stemming from his relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
The Rays placed outfielder Jonny DeLuca on the ten-day injured list with a right hamstring strain yesterday. He’s going to miss far more than ten days, however.
The Tampa Bay Rays were able to continue another impressive week and are really solidifying themselves as one of the best teams in baseball. Following another winning week for the Rays, they are now (34-16), with the best record in the American League.
The Tampa Bay Rays picked up another big win on Friday night, but the victory may have come with a costly setback. Outfielder Jonny DeLuca exited the Rays’ 4-2 win over the New York Yankees after suffering a right hamstring injury during the seventh inning.
Rays outfielder Jake Fraley will undergo sports hernia surgery tomorrow, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. He’ll be out for six to eight weeks.