Fairbanks (1-0) got the win over the Rockies on Friday, working a scoreless ninth inning with two walks and two strikeouts in the 3-2 win.
The Rays' closer put two men on in the ninth inning with walks, but one of them was erased when pinch runner Mickey Moniak was caught stealing second base. Jordan Beck, however, was successful with a stolen base, but Fairbanks struck out Brenton Doyle to end the inning. The Rays walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, which made Fairbanks the winning pitcher of record.
Fairbanks has thrown 1.2 innings across two appearances in the Grapefruit League.
Fairbanks ended the 2024 season on the injured list with a lat injury, so the fact that he's had a healthy spring is positive. While he hasn't seen much game action, he's projected to serve as the Rays' primary closer once the regular season kicks off.
Fairbanks (lat) is progressing in his rehab program but won't have enough time to return from the 15-day injured list before the end of the regular season, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
The right-hander landed on the shelf in mid-August due to a lat strain and was able to resume throwing at the end of the month, but he won't have enough time to build up to game readiness before the end of the campaign. Fairbanks will finish the season with 23 saves and a 3.57 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB across 45.1 innings. He should be fully healthy in plenty of time for spring training.
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