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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Sharp in first spring outing
Rotowire
Rasmussen allowed one hit in two scoreless innings during Monday's Grapefruit League game against Boston. He struck out three.
Rasmussen was very sharp in his first appearance of the spring, tossing 16 of his 23 pitches for strikes. Tampa Bay has already announced that Rasmussen is tabbed to start Opening Day, and the hope this season is that the Rays won't scale back his workload the way they did during the second half of last year. The right-hander should also benefit from the team moving back to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field in 2026.
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Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Named Opening Day starter
Rotowire
The Rays have named Rasmussen their Opening Day starter, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rasmussen was excellent in 2025 in his first full season back from elbow surgery, collecting a 2.76 ERA and 127:37 K:BB over 150 innings covering 31 starts. He had his workload carefully monitored last season but should have the reins loosened in 2026. That said, given that Rasmussen has undergone three major elbow surgeries, he's unlikely to ever be a workhorse. His Opening Day assignment will come March 26 in St. Louis.
Rasmussen didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Baltimore, allowing two hits and two walks across 2.1 scoreless innings. He stuck out three.
Making his final start of the season, Rasmussen was pulled after recording one out in the third inning, putting him exactly at his 150-inning limit for the season. While Rasmussen failed to make it past five innings in any of his final five outings, the right-hander had a strong campaign overall, posting a 2.76 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and 127 strikeouts across 31 starts.
Rasmussen did not factor into the decision in Friday's 11-7 loss to the Red Sox, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts over three innings.
Rasmussen needed 76 pitches to get through just three innings, generating only four whiffs in his shortest outing since the All-Star break. After closing August with four straight quality starts, the 30-year-old has failed to complete more than five frames in any of his four September outings. He owns a 2.80 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 124:35 K:BB across 147.2 innings this season and will aim to finish strong in a road matchup with the Orioles next week.
Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Pulled after five frames again
Rotowire
Rasmussen allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Saturday.
Rasmussen tossed just 80 pitches in the outing, and he's now been pulled after five frames (despite not throwing more than 82 pitches) in each of his past three starts. While he hasn't taken a loss since June 19, the right-hander also has recorded five consecutive no-decisions despite not allowing more than three runs in any outing during that stretch. Rasmussen's overall numbers this season remain strong, as he's posted a 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 122:34 K:BB over 144.2 innings spanning 29 starts. He's in line to make his next start at home against Toronto.
