The Rays announced a series of roster moves today, including the news that left-hander Colin Poche was placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez was also designated for assignment, and right-handers Cole Sulser and Hunter Bigge were called up from Triple-A to fill the two spots on the active roster. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported on the moves shortly before the team’s official announcement, and also noted that catcher Logan Driscoll has been added to the taxi squad, perhaps in advance of a contract selection tomorrow when rosters expand to 28 players.
Poche has been a reliable bullpen arm for the last three seasons, with his excellent 2.23 ERA over 60 2/3 innings in 2023 sandwiched between 2022 and 2024 campaigns that were more solid than spectacular. This year, Poche has a 3.67 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, and 9.4% walk rate over 34 1/3 innings for Tampa.
He missed a little over six weeks of the season due to back problems, and now this second IL stint could potentially put the rest of his 2024 campaign in jeopardy, given the lack of time remaining in the regular season. However, Poche told Topkin that he hopes to pitch again before the year is out, and an MRI didn’t seem to reveal anything structurally wrong with his shoulder.
Sulser and Bigge will be tasked with covering the innings left over by Poche and Ramirez, who is headed to the DFA wire for the fourth time in the last 14 months. The Rays previously designated Ramirez back in May and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster, only to select his contract again earlier this week.
Because Ramirez has a past outright on his resume, he has the ability to reject another outright assignment (if he clears waivers) and opt into free agency. Since the veteran righty chose to remain in the organization in May, it would seem that he’s more likely than not to again accept the outright assignment, continuing his longstanding ties in Tampa Bay. Ramirez first pitched for the Rays from 2015-17 before rejoining the team last season, and 377 1/3 of his 849 career MLB innings have come in a Tampa uniform.
This season, Ramirez has a 4.35 ERA in 20 2/3 frames for the Rays, working mostly in a mop-up capacity and eating multiple innings when he has been on the team’s 26-man roster. Another team in need of experienced pitching could put in a claim to bring Ramirez aboard in a similar capacity, but chances are Ramirez will clear waivers and remain in Tampa’s farm system as bullpen depth.