Player News
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Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The Rays elected to decline Pete Fairbanks' $11 million option, and the plan for now is to fill that ninth-inning vacancy with multiple players. Cleavinger had the best season of his career in 2025, holding a 2.35 ERA and 82:18 K:BB over 61.1 innings. The lefty has neutral splits, so he should not be at a matchup disadvantage when it comes to who manager Kevin Cash chooses to deploy in save situations.
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Cleavinger picked up the save Tuesday against Seattle, throwing a perfect inning with zero strikeouts. Griffin Jax began the ninth inning, but after he yielded a pair of walks and a single to the first three batters he faced, Tampa Bay turned to Cleavinger with the bases loaded and nobody out. Cleavinger surrendered a sacrifice fly, with the run being attributed to Jax, but Cleavinger didn't allow the Mariners to complete the comeback. Now with two saves on the season, Cleavinger has an impressive 1.75 ERA in 51.1 innings. He hasn't allowed a run in 18 straight innings.
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Cleavinger (0-4) allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk without recording an out in the ninth inning to take the loss Saturday against the Twins. Cleavinger posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 10 innings in June and began July with two scoreless outings. He didn't have his best stuff Saturday, however, as he allowed a walk and two singles -- the latter of which was a bunt -- to allow a walk-off win for the Twins.
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Cleavinger (0-1) allowed one earned run on one hit while striking out two across two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Friday against the Astros. Cleavinger has been one of the Rays' most reliable high-leverage relievers this season, and he's maintained an impressive 27:4 K:BB across 21.1 frames while turning in scoreless efforts in 17 of 23 appearances. He stumbled Friday, however, allowing a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning after striking out the first two batters he faced to take his first loss of the campaign.
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Cleavinger picked up the save Friday against the Padres after tossing a clean ninth inning, striking out two. With closer Pete Fairbanks having worked each of the past two days, Cleavinger was called upon to slam the door and protect a 1-0 lead. The left-hander earned his first save of the year after throwing seven of his 10 pitches for strikes, and he now sports a 2.53 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB over 10.2 innings. Cleavinger is one of Tampa Bay's top left-handed relievers, but his save opportunities are likely to remain scarce while Fairbanks is healthy.
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Stats
| Year | Team | APP | GS | INN | W | L | S | K | BBI | HA | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TB | 67 | 0 | 61.3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 82 | 18 | 40 | 2.34 | 0.94 |
| 2024 | TB | 68 | 0 | 60.0 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 71 | 31 | 52 | 3.75 | 1.38 |
Last 7 Games
| DATE | Opp | W | L | S | INN | HA | ERA | BBI | K | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/27 | @  |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 2 | 6.00 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 |
| 9/24 | @  |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 5.40 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 9/21 | vs  |
1 | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 6.75 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 9/19 | vs |
- | 1 | - | 0.2 | 2 | 9.00 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 |
| 9/18 | vs |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 3.00 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| 9/15 | vs |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 4.50 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| 9/13 | @  |
- | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 9.00 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 |
Upcoming Games
| date | Opp | time | Scheduled Starter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/26 | @  |
4:15 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/28 | @ |
2:15 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/29 | @ |
2:15 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/30 | @  |
7:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/31 | @ |
7:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 4/01 | @ |
1:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 4/03 | @  |
12:00 AM | Not Announced Yet |