Drew Rasmussen Finally Takes Mound For Tampa Bay Rays, Tosses Spring Training Gem

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Drew Rasmussen was eager to take the mound Monday.

Too eager, maybe.

"I was loose, stretched out, everything," said the Tampa Bay Rays right-hander. "And then I was like, 'Oh, buddy...'"

Despite admittedly starting his routine too early, Rasmussen posted a successful outing against the Atlanta Braves. He made it 2.0 innings, allowing one hit, one walk and no earned runs.

It marked Rasmussen's first official appearance of spring training, which he said was good to finally get out of the way.

"I think I might have been our last arm to get into a game," Rasmussen said. "So it's nice to kinda check that box off."

Technically, non-roster invite Connor Seabold hasn't seen action yet in Grapefruit League play, but Rasmussen was at least the final big leaguer to face off against another team.

While he only reached 29 pitches on Monday, Rasmussen said his throwing program will have him built up in time for the start of the regular season. He had already thrown two live sets on backfields in the days leading up to his start, after all.

"Good to see him out there, stuff right in line with what we saw at the end of last year," said manager Kevin Cash. "He's a strike-thrower, lets the defense play."

Rasmussen went 0-2 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.081 WHIP, 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.6 WAR in 2024, coming out of the bullpen in 12 of his 16 appearances. He didn't make his season debut until Aug. 7, since he had been recovering from an internal brace procedure on his throwing elbow he underwent in July 2023.

Over the course of the 278.1 regular season innings Rasmussen has tossed since joining the Rays in 2021, he is 19-11 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.031 WHIP, 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings and an 6.7 WAR.

Rasmussen's spring training debut comes in the immediate wake of Shane McClanahan and Shane Baz making their own on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The last time the three of them were healthy together on the big league roster was before the 2022 All-Star break, so the magnitude of the past three days isn't lost on Rasmussen.

"I know the work they've put in to get back to this point," Rasmussen said. "The opportunity to be healthy with those guys again is truly special and I'm excited to see what they do, I'm excited to be along for the ride with them."

Baz underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2022 after getting shut down that July. McClanahan had his procedure done in August 2023, missing the entire 2024 campaign.

The three are on pace to start 2025 alongside each other in Tampa Bay's starting rotation, barring any changes in the final three weeks of camp.