Rays Make Roster Move After Fourth Straight Win

Grove was reinstated from the 60-day injured list June 21 before being optioned to Durham to continue building up his pitch count, then recalled June 25 to bolster a bullpen already dealing with the absences of left-hander Steven Matz, on the 15-day injured list with a left ankle sprain, and Jesse Scholtens, sidelined with a wrist injury.

Saturday's debut was his first big-league appearance since before the surgery, and he delivered, posting a 0.00 ERA and a 0.33 WHIP across three scoreless innings of long relief.

Martin has been one of the more dependable arms at Triple-A Durham since being optioned June 3, posting a 1.90 ERA across 23 2/3 innings with the affiliate this year. His five big-league appearances this season produced a 4.35 ERA across 10 1/3 innings before the Rays sent him down to sharpen his command and build consistency out of the bullpen. He gives Tampa Bay confidence as a multi-inning option if called upon Sunday.

The Rays enter Sunday's series finale against Arizona riding a four-game winning streak, their longest since May, and sitting first in the AL East with a 47-33 record after reclaiming the top spot in the division on winning percentage over the New York Yankees on June 27.

The front office moved quickly to ensure a fresh arm was available for the finale, and with Matz and Scholtens both sidelined, protecting bullpen depth has become a priority.

Tampa Bay's willingness to aggressively manage the shuttle between Durham and the active roster reflects how seriously the organization is treating what has become a genuine AL East division race, and Sunday's move is the latest example of that approach.