Rays Get Brutal News on Shane Baz Injury Update

Rays Get Brutal News on Shane Baz Injury Update

Updated:

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz has barely played during his rookie campaign due to issues with his elbow. The 23-year-old righty has been on the 60-day injured list since mid-July and now the latest update on his injury indicates that he likely won't return any time soon.

Rays insider Marc Topkin reports that will be held to plyometric exercises over the next two weeks before he can even begin throwing. Topkin adds that there's a good chance that the rookie hurler won't play another game for Tampa Bay this season since he'd still need to build his pitch count up.

Shane Baz Injury Update

Baz opened the 2022 MLB season as Baseball America's No. 8 prospect, highlighting the Rays' high expectations for the former 2017 first-round pick. Nevertheless, the club occupies the final American League wild card spot without him. If he can miraculously return, he must pitch better than he did earlier this year.

After going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in three starts for the Rays last year, Baz hasn't had the same success in 2022. Between his injuries, the Houston, TX native has started six times, going 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.333 WHIP.

A total of 51.9% of Baz's hits allowed have had an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher — up from 32.1% in 2021. His elbow sprain likely plays a role in that regression, so the hope is that it's something he can work on ahead of the 2023 MLB season.

Baz is an extremely talented player and could be a mainstay in the Rays' rotation for years to come. For now, it might be best to shut him down for the season and hope that he arrives to spring training ready to take the bull by the horns.

Rays Playoff Odds

For now, FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Rays at +100 odds to make the MLB playoffs, equating to an implied probability of 50%. Assuming they can make it, their +5000 odds to win the 2022 World Series are tied for fifth-best among AL teams.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.