The Tampa Bay Rays are already juggling a battered pitching staff, and Edwin Uceta’s latest rehab update only deepens the problem.
Manager Kevin Cash said Uceta is headed to see a doctor for another opinion on his shoulder, a sign that the right-hander’s recovery has hit another snag. As Ryan Bass shared on X, Cash’s assessment was blunt: "Rehab has not gone as well as we would have hoped," Cash said, via Bass.
That’s a rough turn for a pitcher who entered spring training with what seemed like a minor issue ahead of the World Baseball Classic and was expected to be ready for Opening Day. Instead, the injury turned out to be much more serious, and now Uceta’s 2026 season appears to be in jeopardy.
The Rays could use the help. Their pitching staff has been a strength, but it still hasn’t been at full capacity.
Ryan Pepiot is out for the season with a hip issue, while Manuel Rodriguez and Steven Wilson remain unavailable because of long-term injuries. Those bullpen arms haven’t been ruled out for the year, and the team is still hoping they’ll return at some point to give a relief corps that has been stretched thin a lift.
Uceta’s situation feels even more frustrating because of what he’s done for Tampa Bay over the last two seasons. In 2024, his first year with the club, he posted a 1.51 across 41.2 innings.
In 2025, he opened slowly but finished strong, working as a true bullpen weapon. He threw 76 innings in 70 appearances, struck out 103, won 10 games and collected 21 holds while filling whatever role Cash needed.
His absence has already forced the Rays to shuffle things around. With Griffin Jax now in the starting rotation and Ian Seymour moved from the bullpen to the rotation out of necessity, the late-game plan to replace Pete Fairbanks never really came together.
Now, with Uceta’s return looking uncertain, the bullpen remains one of Tampa Bay’s biggest needs.
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