Alvarado, who's allowed seven runs (six earned) across three appearances since returning from an extended absence due to personal reasons, may be used in lower-leverage situations in the short term, Marc Topkin of the Tamp Bay Times reports. "In all fairness to him, us, probably try to find a softer spot for him,'' manager Kevin Cash said. "Unfortunately we don't have many soft spots, and there's not a soft spot when you face the New York Yankees."
Alvarado was clearly out of his element in the outing where the majority of the aforementioned damage against him was done, a forgettable appearance against the Orioles on Wednesday. The left-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits, a walk and a wild pitch over just two-thirds of an inning versus Baltimore, and the meltdown was apparently enough to warrant a bit of a role shift for the time being. With Diego Castillo (shoulder) on the injured list until after the All-Star break, Emilio Pagan, who boasts a 1.10 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, is presumably the next man up for any save chances during the current four-game series against the Yankees, although Cash added that the Rays "can't run from" Alvarado for too long based on how important he is to the team's success.