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.

Lux has hit safely in each of his last three outings since resuming his rehab assignment. The infielder, who's recovering from a right should impingement, sprained his left ankle April 11 with Durham, but he should be able to make his season debut with the Rays at some point in early May if all goes smoohtly. Through 40 minor-league at bats, Lux is hitting just .150 with three doubles, 11 walks and five RBI.

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.

Caminero fouled a pitch off in his first at-bat Tuesday, and it bounced off the dirt and came up to hit him in the jaw. After grounding out, Caminero left the game with the training staff. The Rays have a day game Wednesday to wrap up their series with the Guardians followed by an off day Thursday.

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.

A return to the lineup next week remains firmly on the table for Barger. The 26-year-old had gotten off to a slow start, going 1-for-19 (.053) through eight games before getting injured, so the organization may not rush him back from the rehab stint in order to give him a chance to find his timing at the plate, but once he's activated from the IL, Barger should reclaim his starting role against right-handed pitching in right field.

Kirk has spent the past several weeks recovering from a procedure he underwent in early April to repair his fractured left thumb. He was given a six-week return timeline following the operation, which would put him in line to return sometime around mid-May, though an updated estimate will likely emerge as he continues to check off boxes.

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 has been sidelined for the past two-plus weeks due to a fractured left big toe, but it appears he'll rejoin the Blue Jays on Wednesday, assuming he can avoid a last-minute setback. Prior to the injury, the veteran outfielder was in the midst of a slow start to the campaign with two homers and a .185/.290/.370 slash line in his first 14 games.

Berrios wasn't sharp in his last rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, giving up five earned runs on five hits and two walks over four innings. He did get stretched out to 70 pitches, however, and the stress fracture in his right elbow that sent him to the injured list doesn't appear to be giving him any trouble. The Blue Jays will talk with Berrios to see how he feels before making a determination on Monday's starter. It will either be Berrios or Eric Lauer, and Berrios could have the edge in large part due to Lauer's bullpen experience.

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.