Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested after Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins that he intends to have Boyle piggyback Drew Rasmussen for at least a few more turns through the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Rasmussen has moved back into a full-time starting role in 2025 after undergoing the third major elbow surgery of his career in July 2023, the Rays are aiming to limit him to around 150 innings this season. Just over halfway into the campaign, Rasmussen has already compiled 89.1 innings, so the Rays will stick to their plan of managing his workload so that he can be available in some capacity through the rest of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs. The Rays took the first step in curtailing Rasmussen's workload Sunday, when Boyle was called up from Triple-A Durham to pitch in bulk relief behind him. After Rasmussen covered the first two frames, Boyle stepped in and covered the next five innings, striking out seven batters while allowing an unearned run on two hits and one walk. Cash didn't go into specifics regarding how long past the All-Star break the Rasmussen/Boyle pairing might be used or whether Rasmussen would continue to be capped at around two innings, but for fantasy purposes, the arrangement is certainly more favorable to Boyle than Rasmussen. By continuing to work in bulk relief on the days he pitches, Boyle will be the Rays hurler most likely to factor into any decision. In addition to the increased win potential, Boyle looks like he could make a major impact for fantasy managers in the ratio categories. He's submitted a 1.85 ERA and 22.3 K-BB% over 73 innings at Durham this season, and he's maintained that dominance through his two appearances with the Rays thus far, turning in a 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through 10 frames.

Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested after Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins that he intends to use Rasmussen as an opener in front of bulk reliever Joe Boyle for at least a few more turns through the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After Rasmussen was used primarily in relief late in the 2024 campaign upon completing his recovery from a July 2023 internal brace procedure -- the third major elbow surgery of his career -- the Rays moved the right-hander back into the rotation on a full-time basis this season with the aim of limiting him to around 150 innings in 2025. Just over halfway into the campaign, Rasmussen has already compiled 89.1 innings, and despite the fact he's turned in a shiny 2.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP through 18 starts, the Rays will stick to their plan of managing his workload so that he can be available in some capacity through the rest of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs. The Rays took the first step in curtailing Rasmussen's workload Sunday, when he was lifted after allowing one run in two innings before Boyle took over to cover the next five frames. Cash didn't go into specifics regarding how long the Rasmussen/Boyle pairing might be used or if Rasmussen would remain capped at around two innings when he's deployed in a tandem, but the arrangement is undoubtedly a negative development for the 29-year-old from a fantasy standpoint. In addition to not being able to qualify for wins if he regularly pitches fewer than five innings in starts, Rasmussen's impact in the ratio categories would also become more muted with lighter innings counts.

Lopez (2-5) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out eight over 4.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Giants.

Lopez had a shaky first inning and gave up a run when Willy Adames drew a bases-loaded walk. Adames added a solo home run in the fourth inning, and Lopez found more trouble in the fifth before his exit. In between, however, he was nearly untouchable, striking out seven straight batters at one point. The southpaw has allowed eight runs (seven earned) over his last two starts, covering 7.2 innings with a 9:2 K:BB in that span. He's walked precisely one batter in seven of his last nine outings, but the overall results have been fairly mixed. For the season, he has a 4.26 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB through 50.2 innings over 13 appearances (nine starts). Lopez is lined up to make his next start at home versus the Blue Jays.

Leiter (4-6) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 3.2 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Padres.

It wasn't an outright bad performance, but Leiter's pitch count got up early, and he was pulled at 85 pitches (54 strikes) after running into trouble in the fourth inning. He's fallen short of the five-inning mark in three of his last five starts while allowing 16 runs with a 21:10 K:BB over 23.1 innings in that span. Overall, Leiter has a 4.32 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 63:34 K:BB across 75 innings through 15 starts this season. The 25-year-old is projected to make his next start in Houston.

Smith (3-7) yielded five runs on five hits and two walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against Colorado.

Smith served up a leadoff shot to Mickey Moniak in the first inning and allowed another run in the second. Smith then worked through a pair of quick frames before the Rockies plated four more runs in the fifth inning, with three being charged against the right-handed rookie. He posted a 2.37 ERA through his first 13 starts of the year but now owns a 4.20 ERA across 83.2 frames. Smith has been tagged with 22 runs (21 earned) in just 15.1 innings over his last four appearances, leading to four consecutive losses. He'll look to snap the streak in his next outing, which is projected to be at home against the Guardians.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said prior to Sunday's 7-2 win over the Guardians that Enns will make his next appearance out of the bullpen, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Enns limited the Athletics to one hit over five shutout innings in his first start with the Tigers on June 26, but he ended up losing his spot in the rotation after he was blown up for eight runs (seven earned) over four innings in his second start Thursday in Washington. Hinch has yet to announce a replacement in the rotation for Enns, but Keider Montero is expected to be called up from Triple-A Toledo on Monday and will either start or serve as a bulk reliever in Detroit's series opener versus the Rays, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Enns will be available in relief Monday, but the Tigers aren't heading into the game with the plan of having him cover multiple innings.

Rasmussen took a no-decision in his start during Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins, striking out two while allowing one earned run on three hits and no walks over two innings.

Though the Rays didn't make a formal announcement regarding their plans for Rasmussen heading into the day, the right-hander ended up serving as a glorified opener in his shortest start of the season in terms of both innings and pitches (32). Tampa Bay called up Joe Boyle from Triple-A Durham ahead of Sunday's contest and used him in bulk relief behind Rasmussen, with the righty giving up one unearned run over five innings. The Rays' exact plans for Rasmussen moving forward aren't known, but because he's already accrued 89.1 innings on the season and is only two years removed from the third major right elbow surgery of his career, it wouldn't be surprising if Boyle piggybacks Rasmussen in his next turn through the rotation next weekend in Boston. With a 7-2 record, 2.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP through 18 outings, Rasmussen has thus far been a screaming value for his draft-day investors, but if 2-to-4-inning starts become the norm for him, he would lose a significant amount of fantasy appeal.

Boyle struck out seven and allowed one unearned run on two hits and one walk over five innings of relief in Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins.

Called up earlier in the day after delivering a 1.73 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 96:31 K:BB in 73 innings with Triple-A Durham on the season, Boyle wasn't immediately inserted into the Tampa Bay rotation. Instead, manager Kevin Cash essentially deployed Boyle as a primary pitcher out of the bullpen behind right-hander Drew Rasmussen, who was limited to two innings as an opener. Considering Rasmussen underwent an internal brace procedure -- the third major elbow surgery of his career -- in July 2023 and is already up to 89.1 innings on the season, the Rays could look to manage his workload in the short term by deploying him in tandem with Boyle. Even though Boyle's role is somewhat in flux at the moment, the dominance he's displayed in the minors and in his two appearances (one start) in the big leagues (0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 14 strikeouts in 10 innings) makes him worthy of picking up in most leagues where he's available.

Ryan did not factor in the decision during Sunday's extra-inning loss to Tampa Bay. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings while striking out eight.

Ryan punched out the side in the first inning and retired the first six batters he faced before Taylor Walls popped a solo shot to begin the third. The Rays scored another run on a Jonathan Aranda single in the fourth. Ryan forced 21 whiffs Sunday, his second-most of the season, with 12 coming on the fastball. He's given up three or fewer runs in 12 of his last 13 outings, posting a terrific 2.33 ERA and 88:18 K:BB during that stretch. His season ERA sits at 2.76 alongside a 116:21 K:BB across 104.1 frames. Ryan is in line to face the Pirates at home next weekend.

Gausman did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Angels, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks with nine strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Gausman allowed runs in the first and fifth innings and was pulled one out shy of a quality start after a season-high 107 pitches. While the veteran was inefficient at times Sunday, he generated 12 whiffs with his splitter and has now allowed only four earned runs over his past three outings. He'll take a 4.13 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 102:32 K:BB across 104.2 innings into a road matchup with the Athletics next weekend.