Drew Rasmussen has spent most of his career fighting his way back from elbow trouble, and the latest chapter has only strengthened his case as one of the most overlooked starters in baseball.
His injury history is long enough to make almost any pitcher’s comeback feel improbable. Rasmussen had already gone through one procedure, then another, and six years later he was back on the 60-day injured list on May 12, 2023, before undergoing an internal brace procedure on his right elbow.
That was the third major elbow injury of his career. Instead of fading, though, he has kept building on the success he showed as a starter from 2021-23 and turned himself into one of the most dominant arms on the American League’s top team.
The turnaround really started in August 2024, when Rasmussen returned in relief. That move made sense because he had found success in the bullpen in the minor leagues before, and it gave the Rays a way to ease him back into MLB action.
The results came fast. His fastball velocity jumped by 1.3 mph from where it had been in 2023 before the injury, and over 28.2 innings he posted an expected ERA of 2.05, an expected opponent average of .194, a 33% chase rate, a 31.4% whiff rate and a 30.2% strikeout rate. He also walked opponents just 5.2% of the time.
Rasmussen had command of both his fastball and his secondary pitches, locating them where he wanted and making hitters miss. That translated into a 2.83 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, along with 35 strikeouts and nearly a 6:1 strikeout-to-walk rate.
The sample was small, but it gave Rays fans plenty to feel good about heading into 2025.
He backed it up in a big way, too, throwing a career-high 150 innings with a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He finished with 127 strikeouts, a 21.7% strikeout rate, and 37 walks. His fastball velocity settled at 95.6 MPH over the full season, while his chase and whiff rates dropped as well, landing in the 53rd and 24th percentiles, respectively.
In Other News...
Rays Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious Over Yandy Daz Respect
Yandy Daz has spent the last several seasons doing exactly what the Rays ask of their best hitters, showing up every day and producing with a level of consistency that has made him one of the most reliable bats in the sport. Since 2022, he has been one of Major League Baseballs most effective hitters, and this season he has kept right on rolling, sitting atop the American League batting race while continuing to rank among the leagues most productive overall hitters.
Even with that kind of track record, Daz still does not seem to get the national respect his game deserves, which is why the latest All-Star voting outcome landed with a thud around Tampa Bay. Inside the clubhouse, the appreciation is far clearer, with teammates and coaches repeatedly pointing to his pure hitting ability and steady approach, the kind of praise that says as much about his value as any award ballot ever could. [Read more 🡒]
National Spotlight Is Suddenly Closing In On Multiple Rays Stars
The Rays have spent plenty of this season living in the margins of the national conversation, but a few of their best players are starting to force their way into it. Drew Rasmussen has quietly built a case as one of the American Leagues most impressive arms, Nick Martinez has put himself in position to earn his first All-Star nod, and Junior Caminero has kept his name in the mix as one of the leagues most electric young hitters.
Camineros path is the most ambitious of the three, because the top of the AL MVP race is crowded and unforgiving, but the fact that he is even being discussed in that company says plenty about how far he has come. Rasmussens profile is more understated, Martinezs more dependent on recognition than flash, and both could still end up as the kind of Rays stories that catch the wider baseball world by surprise if the rest of the season breaks their way. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Keep Rolling With 8th Straight Win And Another Sweep
The Rays kept their momentum rolling with another clean series finish, completing a three-game sweep of the Royals to stretch their winning streak to eight. Ian Seymour set the tone with six steady innings, and Tampa Bay got enough offense to stay in control while continuing to separate itself in the AL East.
Cedric Mullins supplied the biggest swing, and the Rays also flashed the kind of defense that has helped fuel this run. With the club now at 51-33 and sitting four games up in the division, the bigger question is how long this pace can hold as the schedule keeps moving and the pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]