Rays Overcome Injuries, Adversity Once Again To Make Playoffs

Perhaps more than any other team in recent seasons, the Rays have battled and overcome adversity. This season, adversity hit often and it hit hard with injuries, including the season-ending variety, to a number of players. Then there was the loss of star shortstop Wander Franco, placed on the restricted list in August.

Through it all, the Rays continued to plug away during a 99-win season, the second most in franchise history, and a fifth straight playoff berth.

On the eve of their wild-card series against the Rangers, manager Kevin Cash cited the contributions from those on and off the field as the reason why his team has made it to this point.

“Teams have adversity over six months,” he said Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field as his team prepared for Tuesday’s series opener. “That’s inevitable. We are fortunate that we have a solid group of people inside the clubhouse. Players and staff have done a tremendous job of keeping the vibe.”

It is difficult to keep the vibe when injuries claim two starting pitchers (Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen) by mid-May and a third, a Cy Young contender (Shane McClanahan), is shelved in August.

It is difficult to keep the vibe when a lineup struggles to remain intact because of injuries to the likes of Brandon Lowe, Taylor Walls, Manuel Margot, Jose Siri and Luke Raley. Then there was situation with Franco.

Between the minor league system, under-the-radar signings and the waiver wire, the organization once again found the pieces to keep things humming at a high level.

“I also think it was what you would expect when Erik (Neander) and Pete (Bendix) go out and acquire players, or we internally develop them,” said Cash, in referring to the club’s president and GM. “You want to have good players and we are fortunate that we have good players and good people.”

Cash noted Raley (cervical strain) and Siri (hand) may be available for the series. Both worked out Monday, so maybe a couple of pieces will return.

Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay’s Game 1 starter, returned to the rotation in late May after missing the season’s first two months with an oblique strain. He has been with the Rays during their five-year postseason run and has seen what the organization has done in order to overcome the tough times.

“I think the culture here is very relaxed and I think we kind of worry about the things we have to worry about instead of any of the external stuff,” said the 6-foot-8 righthander. “It is very much like, go out and play baseball and take care of the things you have to take care of. So, I think when things come up it’s kind of reinforced like, ‘Don’t worry about it if you don’t have to. Just try to go out, have fun, relax and have a good time.’”

The Rays have certainly had a good time of it, or seem to, despite all that has conspired against them. Game 2 starter Zach Eflin won a career-high 16 games in his first season with the Rays. Yandy Diaz hit .330 to become the first player in team history to win a batting title. Isaac Paredes busted out with 31 homers and 98 RBI. Josh Lowe, in his first full season in the majors, hit 20 homers and stole 32 bases. It is such production that has also helped Tampa Bay persevere through rough waters.

“It says a lot, especially when you look around this clubhouse and see the different names that are not able to compete this postseason, from all-stars to other guys in here,” said Lowe, who revealed Monday that his mother, Wendy, has cancer and will not attend the series to see her sons, Josh and Nate, the Rangers first baseman and a former member of the Rays, compete. “It just says a lot about the next guy who has stepped in and done their job. It says a lot about our front office and how deep our system is.”