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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Rays' Griffin Jax: Part of Rays' closer-by-committee
Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.There's been some talk of Jax potentially stretching out to join the Rays' rotation, but the current plan is to leave the 31-year-old in the bullpen. Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline, Jax had an elevated 4.23 ERA in 2025, but a 2.51 FIP and 35 percent strikeout rate were more indicative of how he pitched. Mason Montgomery, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez (elbow) could also work their way into high-leverage work, but the tentative plan seems to be for Jax, Cleavinger and Uceta to share the closer role.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Rays' Griffin Jax: Opening Wednesday
Griffin Jax will serve as the Tampa Bay Rays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.With Ryan Pepiot unavailable for his scheduled start Wednesday due to fatigue, the Rays will turn to Jax to lead off what's expected to be a bullpen game. The 30-year-old right-hander has given up eight earned runs in just 12 innings since being acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline and isn't expected to pitch past the first inning during what will be his second opening assignment in seven days.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Rays' Griffin Jax: Opening Friday's game
Griffin Jax will serve as the Tampa Bay Rays' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.Jax has worked primarily in high-leverage spots all season, and that has continued since he joined the Rays at the trade deadline. However, he's struggled to a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 10 innings with Tampa Bay, so working as an opener could prove to be a bit of a reset for the right-hander. Jax will likely only work an inning or two before giving way to Ian Seymour, who is expected to work in bulk relief.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Rays' Griffin Jax: Pulled from save opportunity
Griffin Jax didn't factor into the decision during Tuesday's 6-5 win over Seattle, allowing one run on two walks and one hit without recording an out.Jax took the mound in the ninth inning of a two-run game, but he was removed in favor of Garrett Cleavinger after yielding two walks and a single without logging an out. Cleavinger held on for the save, but one of Jax's inherited runners came in to score. It's unclear why regular closer Pete Fairbanks didn't pitch Tuesday, as Fairbanks had pitched once in the last three days and remains a reliable ninth-inning option.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Rays' Griffin Jax: Takes loss Friday
Griffin Jax (1-6) allowed three earned runs on three hits while striking out one across one inning to take the loss Friday against the Mariners.This marked Jax's fourth appearance since he was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays, and the second in which he's allowed at least one earned run. He entered the game in the eighth inning with a two-run lead but allowed a pair of singles before serving up a three-run home run to Cal Raleigh. Jax now has an inflated 4.93 ERA on the season, but his 76:15 K:BB in 49.1 innings is indicative of how dominant he's been for long stretches of the campaign.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Rays' Griffin Jax: Traded to Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Griffin Jax from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for Taj Bradley, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.Jax briefly appeared poised to step in as Minnesota's closer after Jhoan Duran was dealt on Wednesday, but the Twins instead fully committed to being deadline sellers. Jax had been operating has a setup man and is likely to fill the same role in Tampa Bay, though closer Pete Fairbanks' 5.79 ERA in his past nine outings could provide a path to saves.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Twins' Griffin Jax: Dominant after early struggles
Griffin Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning with a walk in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Rays. He has a 3.86 ERA with 18 holds in 37.1 innings this season.It was a rare appearance for Jax without a strikeout, as he has an eye-popping 61:9 K:BB and 39.1 percent strikeout rate. After early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him briefly demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax has a 1.84 ERA since April 22 and has been the primary set-up man to closer Jhoan Duran. Unlike previous seasons, manager Rocco Baldelli has mostly kept Duran in the ninth inning instead of deploying him in higher-leverage spots earlier in the game, limiting Jax's save opportunities.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Twins' Griffin Jax: Earns ninth hold
Griffin Jax allowed a run on a home run with a strikeout in an inning of work in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox to earn his ninth hold.After his early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax had improved before Sunday with five scoreless innings and a 11:0 K:BB. Even with giving up the home run Sunday, it looks like he's back to working in the eighth inning ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Twins' Griffin Jax: Early struggles continue
Griffin Jax (0-2) took the loss in Friday's 6-4 loss to Atlanta. He allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning.Jax began the eighth inning with a three-run lead but couldn't hit his spots and wasn't helped by a shaky defense. It's his second poor outing in a row that has cost the Minnesota Twins a lead. He has an ugly 11.25 ERA and 2.13 WHIP so far this season. He does have a strong 12:3 K:BB in eight innings with an unsustainable .480 BABIP, so there's plenty of reasons to believe he'll turn his season around. Still, he may see usage in lower-leverage spots the next few games to get him back on track.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Twins' Griffin Jax: Collapses in ninth inning
Griffin Jax pitched one inning, surrendering two runs on three hits while striking out three batters on his way to a blown save in Sunday's 9-7 extra-inning loss to the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.Jax was tasked with protecting a 7-5 lead in top of the ninth inning and promptly allowed a leadoff single to Isaac Paredes and a subsequent game-tying two-run homer to Yordan Alvarez to open the frame. The right-hander settled in from there, working around a double from Christian Walker and striking out the final three batters of the inning. Jax has now allowed two home runs this season while giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 2.2 innings in three appearances out of Minnesota's bullpen.
Griffin Jax
#22 RP / Tampa Bay Rays / EXP: 5YRS Height: 6-2 Weight: 195 lb Age: 31 College: Air Force Bats/Throws -/-Fantasy Points by Week
- Rost
- 14%
- Start
- 11%
- RP Rank
- NR