Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Success This Spring is Encouraging for Rays' Pitcher

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 7:00 AM ET

With the start of the season right around the corner for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team should be encouraged by some of the performances that they have seen this spring.

Now that the World Baseball Classic has come to a close and everyone will be returning to camp for the Rays, the team and the roster is starting to take shape for 2026. Tampa Bay had a good number of players participating in the WBC, and they will undoubtedly be ready for the start of the campaign.

These games were very meaningful for the players who went, and they really tried their best. It will be interesting to see if that results in some good performances for players who did elect and were invited to go.

However, the franchise has also seen some good performances from players at camp as well. The new-look outfield for Tampa Bay with Cedric Mullins, Jake Fraley, and the returning Chandler Simpson has looked really good. This was a key area that the team was hoping to upgrade, and it has worked out well so far. Furthermore, another area that the team worked on reshaping was the starting rotation. Fortunately, this is a unit that could be a strength of the team, and one of their pitchers has had an excellent spring.

Ryan Pepiot Thriving

Coming into the season, one of the key players for the Rays will be the talented right-hander. Pepiot is coming off a strong year for Tampa Bay and will be hoping to build upon it. At 28 years old, there is a good amount of talent there, and the expectation is that he will be an important part of the middle of the rotation.

Pepiot could certainly be an x-factor for the team and the rotation specifically. With Drew Rasmussen expected to be the ace of the staff, Pepiot could be asked to be the number two starter depending on the health and effectiveness of Shane McClanahan. After missing two years because of injury, it’s hard to know what to expect from the former All-Star.

Furthermore, with Nick Martinez and Steven Matz likely being more of the end-of-the-rotation veterans, the performance of Pepiot will be key. So far this spring, he has been pitching very well, and that should be very encouraging for the team. In 10 innings pitched, he has allowed just one run. The command has been a bit of an issue early on with six walks allowed, but he should be able to clean that up. Overall, the right-hander appears to be ready to go, and his performance so far has been good to see.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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