Rays Place Starting Pitcher Zach Eflin on IL, Call Up Rookie Taj Bradley to Start Wednesday

Back tightness has forced Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin to the injured list, and he'll be out until at least April 23. He was supposed to start on Wednesday, but instead rookie Taj Bradley has been called up from Triple-A Durham to make his major-league debut.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are feeling great over their 10-0 start, but starting pitcher Zach Eflin isn't. The Rays placed him on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with tightness in his lower back.

Eflin, the Rays' No. 2 starter, is 2-0 so far with a 3.27 earned run average. He has allowed four runs in 11 innings, with 12 strikeouts and just one walk. He was scheduled to make his third start on Wednesday, but now it will be rookie Taj Bradley who will make his major-league debut.

Eflin, 29, was the Rays' big off-season free-agent addition, signing a three-year, $40-million deal. The move to the IL was retroactive to April 8, so it will be interesting to see how quickly Eflin returns. April 23 is the earliest he can be back.

Bradley, 22, is the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Rays' organization. He has an upper-90s fastball, and has been in the Rays' organization since 2018, when he was drafted in the fifth round out of Redan High School in Georgia. 

Bradley has made two starts in Triple-A this season at Durham, throwing 55 and 51 pitches with mixed results. He has a bright future, and it starts a bit sooner than anyone expected, but a lot of people in the Rays' organization think he's ready.

“It's a rush for any young player, that first time you get called up,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “But I know he's got a bunch of guys that will be excited for him here. He's got a bunch of guys excited for him in Durham. And hopefully we can just continue with the hitting that we've done and give him a little bit of support.”

The Rays are in the middle of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, so it will be interesting to see what they do with Bradley after the start. They don't have a day off until Thursday, April 20.

Tampa Bay's Taj Bradley (45) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees during spring training. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)

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