Edwin Uceta’s run with the Rays has hit another brutal snag.
Tampa Bay president of baseball operations Erik Neander said in a media session earlier today that the right-hander underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last month. The exact details of the procedure weren’t made clear, but Neander added that Uceta is expected to miss at least the first couple months of the 2027 season.
That’s a tough turn for a pitcher who carved out a real role in Tampa Bay after arriving as a minor league pickup in the 2023-24 offseason. Uceta had previously pitched in the Dodgers, D-backs, Mets and Cubs organizations, and he came to the Rays with a career 5.80 ERA in 40 1/3 innings.
Once Tampa Bay got hold of him, though, the results changed fast. From 2024-25, he worked 117 2/3 innings with a 2.98 ERA, struck out exactly one-third of the batters he faced, walked just 7.3% and forced ugly contact all around, including an 88.1 mph average exit velocity and a 34.8% hard-hit rate.
He didn’t stay buried in the middle innings for long, either. Uceta saved five games and picked up seven holds late in the 2024 season, then became one of Kevin Cash’s preferred setup arms in 2025 with 21 holds and one save. Entering 2026, he looked like he had a firm grip on that setup job.
Instead, injuries took over. Uceta was slowed early in spring training by shoulder inflammation and opened the season on the injured list, though a long absence wasn’t initially expected.
He began rehab outings in extended spring training, but the discomfort returned. Imaging later showed a subscapularis strain in late April, and at that point the Rays said only that he’d be shut down for two to three weeks.
He never got back on track, missed the entire season and now faces a recovery that stretches into 2027.
That leaves Tampa Bay with a decision to make. Uceta could be non-tendered, even though his projected $1.525 million salary is not a major financial hit.
The catch is the roster spot: keeping him would mean carrying him until the 60-day injured list becomes available when spring training opens, in an offseason expected to be affected by a lockout. The Rays could also non-tender him and try to bring him back quickly on a new deal.
Either way, the appeal is obvious. Uceta has been effective, affordable and under club control through the 2029 season.
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