Rays vs Blue Jays

Cleavinger has already made four rehab appearances with Triple-A Durham but has been shaky, yielding four runs with a 4:5 K:BB. The Rays want him to have a couple more rehab outings to sharpen things up before activating the reliever this weekend. Cleavinger has been out since late March with right calf tightness.

After opening the season on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, Lux kicked off a rehab assignment with Durham on April 2 and slashed .103/.297/.172 with a 27 percent strikeout rate over nine games before being shut down after rolling his left ankle April 11. Lux has apparently made good progress following a week-and-a-half-long layoff and is ready to rejoin the Durham lineup, though he'll likely need to show some improvement at the plate before the Rays are ready to activate him from the IL. Tampa Bay has gotten by with a timeshare of Richie Palacios and Ben Williamson at second base through the first three-plus weeks of the season, but Lux should settle in as the primary option at the position once he's reinstated.

The Rays are hopeful that the right-hander will be able to throw a bullpen session by the end of April. Boyle is on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow strain, and he may need a minor-league rehab assignment before being cleared to rejoin Tampa Bay's rotation. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be available until sometime in May.

An earlier report indicated Rodriguez will need Tommy John surgery, and while that remains a possibility, the full extent of the reliever's procedure won't be determined until the flexor tendon repair takes place. While Rodriguez is almost certain to miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign regardless, he could pitch in 2026 if Tommy John surgery is not needed. If Rodriguez is indeed done for the current campaign, he'll finish with a 2.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB over 30.1 innings spanning 31 appearances while notching 12 holds.

With the Rays up by three and normal high-leverage relievers Griffin Jax and Bryan Baker likely unavailable after both pitched Friday and Saturday, Englert was tasked with trying to wrap up the win. Things got dicey two batters in, as Aaron Judge cut the deficit to one with a home run. Later, the tying run reached second base and the go-ahead run was on first, but Englert was able to slam the door en route to earning the first save of his career. In five appearances this season, the 26-year-old has a 10.57 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP in 7.2 innings.

Pepiot suffered a setback with his right hip last week when he threw a bullpen session, which resulted in him being shifted to the 60-day injured list. He was given an injection and shut down for a few days, and it seems the hip issue is still lingering. It's unclear whether Pepiot will be shut down again, but clearly the righty is not progressing as well as hoped. He is not eligible to return until late May.

Fraley will remain on the bench Friday for a second straight game after fouling a pitch off himself during Tuesday's game against the Reds. Jonny DeLuca is starting in right field and batting fifth against Minnesota righty and former teammate Taj Bradley.

Driscoll appeared in 15 games for the Rays last season and slashed an unforgettable .171/.189/.257 with one home run, five RBI, two runs scored and a 1:6 BB:K across 37 plate appearances. Driscoll rolled his ankle during spring training and hasn't played in 2025.

The 26-year-old continues to work his way back from the sprains in both ankles he sustained in early April, and he appears to be getting close to being cleared for game action. Barger will need a multi-game rehab assignment in the minors before coming off the injured list, so he's likely still at least a week or two away from potentially rejoining the Blue Jays.

Kirk sustained the injury Friday when he was struck in the thumb by a foul tip, and the Blue Jays didn't waste any time placing him on the injured list. The 27-year-old should be able to rejoin the active roster in mid-May, assuming his recovery progresses as expected. Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela will handle the catching duties for Toronto in the meantime.

Francis dealt with a right shoulder impingement during the 2025 season that landed him in the injured list in June. He was able to commence a throwing program in August after some prior setbacks and had managed to face hitters during live batting practice. However, with the right-hander set for Tommy John surgery, he may go a season and a half without pitching in a game.

Ponce sprained his right ACL in late March, which was a severe enough injury to require season-ending surgery, but he should be available for the start of spring training. He signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Blue Jays in December after spending three seasons in Japan. Ponce's start against the Rockies on March 30 -- when he suffered his injury -- was his first appearance in an MLB game since 2021, when he played with the Pirates.

Springer ran the bases and hit on the field Monday at Rogers Centre and will do the same thing Tuesday. As long as he comes out of that workout with no setbacks, his activation from the 10-day injured list will be imminent. Springer has been sidelined for the last two-plus weeks with a fractured left big toe.

Berrios has made two rehab starts with Single-A Dunedin most recently Wednesday against Fort Myers, when he allowed three hits and struck out five batters without issuing a walk over four scoreless innings. He'll now shift his rehab assignment over to Triple-A, and he'll likely need at least two more starts without suffering a setback before being cleared to make his major-league season debut with the Blue Jays.

Estrada was excellent in a bulk-relief outing Saturday, holding the White Sox hitless over four innings while striking out three batters and walking two. However, he threw 66 pitches and would presumably be sidelined for several days as a result, so the Blue Jays opted to shuffle him down to Buffalo in order to beef up the team's bullpen depth. Given Estrada's performance Saturday, it seems very likely he'll be back with the major-league club relatively soon.

The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer came into the game looking for his 3,500th career strikeout -- a milestone only 10 pitchers in MLB history have reached -- but Scherzer not only failed to get it, he got rocked in an outing that mercifully ended after 82 pitches (51 strikes) once Angel Martinez had taken him deep for the second time. Scherzer's time in the Toronto rotation could be close to ending with both Trey Yesavage (shoulder) and Jose Berrios (elbow) getting closer to coming off the IL, but Eric Lauer and Patrick Corbin have little job security as well. Despite his 9.64 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB through 18.2 innings, Scherzer could be able to save his job with a good effort in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Red Sox.

Lukes felt discomfort in his hamstring after hitting a leadoff double in the first inning of Friday's contest, causing him to come out of the game early. Manager John Schneider said after the game that Lukes compared his soreness to that of a cramp, but the Jays will still have him undergo imaging to make sure he isn't dealing with any structural damage. More will be known regarding his injury when the results come back Saturday, and Myles Straw could pick up starts in the outfield if Lukes sits out a game or two.

The Blue Jays opted to rest Gimenez for Sunday's game against the Guardians and right-hander Slade Cecconi, but the infielder's absence from the lineup Monday appears to be more matchup-related with southpaw Ranger Suarez taking the hill for Boston. The left-handed-hitting Gimenez owns a modest 89 wRC+ for his career versus same-handed pitching and is slashing .182/.250/.182 in 25 plate appearances against them this season.