Nick Martinez is the guy on the bump for Tampa, and the line on him so far is absurd: 2-1 with a 1.70 ERA. The Jays counter with a TBD as of the latest probables, which is not exactly the kind of confidence-builder you want when you're trying to snap out of a funk in a building where nothing has come easy historically.
The bigger concern for the Rays right now is the lineup card. Yandy Diaz sat Sunday against the Giants with a side issue and is officially day-to-day, so his status for the opener is the thing to watch when lineups drop. Tampa is also navigating a starting rotation without Ryan Pepiot, who is done for the year after hip surgery scheduled for May 13. That's a real loss that the front office is going to have to address at some point.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart (C) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager (RP) — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayCJ Stubbs (C) — The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.05/08
- Day-To-DayJaven Coleman (P) — no05/08
- 10-Day-ILNathan Lukes (RF) — Lukes (hamstring) has begun a running progression, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger (RF) — Manager John Schneider said Barger (ankle) is traveling to Toronto on Friday and will "most likely" be activated off the injured list Saturday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILAlejandro Kirk (C) — Kirk (thumb) is expected to begin hitting this weekend, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILMax Scherzer (SP) — Scherzer was given a cortisone shot in his injured right forearm and will be shut down from throwing for five days, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILJose Berrios (SP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that an MRI on Berrios' right elbow showed inflammation and "small changes to that initial injury with the elbow," Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILLazaro Estrada (RP) — The Blue Jays placed Estrada on the MLB 15-day injured list April 5 with a right shoulder impingement, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILShane Bieber (SP) — Bieber (elbow) will face live hitters Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Santander (RF) — Toronto transferred Santander (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILCody Ponce (SP) — Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILBowden Francis (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia (RP) — Garcia (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League as soon as Friday, MLB.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon (RP) — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.05/08
- Day-To-DayTy Johnson (SP) — Triple-A Durham placed Johnson on the 7-day injured list due to a lower-back strain, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayLogan Driscoll (C) — The Rays released Driscoll (ankle) on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayKeyshawn Askew (RP) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayTre' Morgan (1B) — Triple-A Durham placed Morgan on the 7-day injured list with a quad injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga (RP) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayJohn Rooney (RP) — The Rays signed Rooney (elbow) to a minor-league contract Nov. 15.05/08
- Day-To-DayTJ Nichols (P) — Double-A Montgomery placed Nichols on its 7-day injured list April 7 due to an unspecified injury.05/08
- 10-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder/ankle) is tracking toward a return during the Rays' series in Boston this weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILJoe Boyle (SP) — Boyle (elbow) struck out four over two scoreless innings in his first rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Durham.05/08
- 15-Day-ILSteven Matz (SP) — Matz's (elbow) stint on the 15-day injured list is not expected to last long, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson (RP) — The Rays placed Wilson (back) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILMichael Grove (RP) — Grove (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters this weekend, MLB.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — The Rays placed Rodriguez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — The Rays transferred Uceta (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08
Even with the attrition, this is a Rays team that's playing balanced baseball and pitching the absolute pants off the ball. Jonathan Aranda has been carrying a chunk of the offense, and the bullpen has held up despite the IL pile. The schedule has been favorable, sure, but they've also been beating the teams in front of them, which is the only thing you can ask in April and early May.
For Toronto, this is a get-right spot they desperately need. Drop two of three here and they're staring at a long flight home with the same questions everyone has been asking since the season started. The Rays smell that. First pitch 6:40 PM ET.