By After a disappointing season in 2025, the Rays will open the 2026 season in St. Louis on Thursday Afternoon against the Cardinals.
Not surprisingly, injuries have struck the Rays once again, and it seems to be affecting every position group.
Shortstop Taylor Walls, who has had a good spring and was projected to be the opening day starting shortstop, will now open the season on the 15-day DL.
Walls is suffering from an oblique strain and could be sidelined for an extended period of time, which opens the door for Carson Williams to make the opening day roster.
Williams will be the starter at shortstop until Walls is ready to play. Williams had a nice spring, hitting .294 with one homer and four RBI’s in 34 at-bats.
However, he struggled in his MLB debut last September, where the stage seemed to be a bit too big for him.
Williams hit .172 and had five errors in 34 games last season.
Newly acquired second baseman Gavin Lux will open the season on the DL.
Lux was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds to replace Brandon Lowe, who was traded to Pittsburgh.
Lux was plagued by an oblique and shoulder strain during spring training, appearing in only seven games with 21 at-bats.
The Lux injury opened the door for Richie Palacios to make the team out of spring training.
Palacios has been described as the “Swiss Army Knife” of the Rays, as he has played every position but pitcher and catcher in his MLB career.
The Rays also like Palacios’s speed on the base paths as he stole 19 bases in 2024, before a finger fracture and knee sprain limited him to 17 games in 2025.
The Rays also acquired infielder Ben Williamson from Seattle right before spring training.
Williamson can play both second base and shortstop and will push Williams and Palacios for playing time if they struggle out of the gate.
Williamson, known for his strong defense, had an .804 OBS this spring, hitting .310 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 46 at-bats this spring.
The Rays’ best offensive player, Junior Camienero, will start at third, while Jonathan Aranda will play at first base.
The Rays did nothing to upgrade the catcher position this offseason. The Rays received minimal production on offense from the duo of Nick Fortes and Hunter Fuducia, yet this duo will start the season as the Rays’ catching duo.
The Rays will open the season with six outfielders on the roster. Jonny DeLuca, Jake Fraley, Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, and Richie Palacios, along with newcomer Ryan Vilade.
Vilade can also play second base and could assist in the infield along with Ben Williamson while awaiting the return of Gavin Lux.
Yandy Diaz returns as the DH.
Pitcher Ryan Pepiot will open the season on the 15-day injured list due to hip inflammation.
Joe Boyle will replace Pepiot in the rotation until Pepiot is ready to return. Boyle went 1-4 with a 4.67 ERA last season.
Drew Rasmussen will get the opening day start for the Rays, with Joe Boyle throwing on Saturday and Steven Matz on Sunday.
Nick Martinez, who has looked horrendous this spring, will start Monday, with Shane McClanahan getting his first start in over two years on Tuesday.
Edwin Uceta, one of the best bullpen pitchers on the Rays, will open the season on the 15-day DL, while Manuel Rodriguez will open the season on the 60-day DL.
Bryan Baker, Mason Englert, Yoendrys Gomez, Griffin Jax, Kevin Kelly, Cole Sulser, Garrett Cleavinger, and Ian Seymour will start the season in the bullpen in Tampa.
The Rays’ over/under win total is 76.5 this season, and most prognosticators have them finishing last in the AL East.
—The Rays will return to the new and improved Tropicana Field this season after spending last season playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The Rays played at Steinbrenner Field last season while repairs were made at Tropicana Field following damage from Hurricane Milton.
-The home opener for the Rays is Monday, April 6th, as the Rays open up a three-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs.
Don’t expect a lot from this Rays team this season. The new ownership group is focusing on 2029 when the new stadium is scheduled to open, and the Rays want to have a competitive team ready to compete in the tough AL East.
