Tampa Bay Rays Activate Pitcher Zack Littell From Injured List as Rosters Expand

Zack Littell, who has been battling shoulder fatigue for the past few weeks, is returning to the Tampa Bay Rays' rotation and will start against the Minnesota Twins.

Jun 25, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zack Littell (52) pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Rays have reinstated right-handed pitcher Zack Littell from the 15-day injured list, the team announced Sunday morning.

Littell hit the injured list with shoulder fatigue on Aug. 17. His last appearance came against the Houston Astros on Aug. 14, when he allowed one run, one hit and two walks in 5.0 innings.

Following an 18-day absence, Littell is slated to take the mound again Monday against the Minnesota Twins.

The Rays have also selected catcher Logan Driscoll's contract with the maximum roster size expanding to 28 players on Monday. As a result, Tampa Bay didn't need to make any corresponding moves to bring Littell back into the fold.

The Tampa Bay Rays have reinstated RHP Zack Littell from the 15-day injured list and selected C Logan Driscoll to the major league roster.

— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) September 1, 2024

The 28-year-old righty is 5-8 with a 3.89 ERA, 1.311 WHIP, 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.8 WAR through 24 starts this season. Over his last four starts, Littell is 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA, 0.882 WHIP and .188 batting average against.

Tampa Bay lost key rotation pieces when they traded Aaron Civale to the Milwaukee Brewers and Zach Eflin to the Baltimore Orioles ahead of July's trade deadline. Ace Shane McClanahan, meanwhile, has missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August.

Now, the Rays have Littell, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen all active and healthy again, joining promising young righty Taj Bradley on a pitching staff that is looking to build momentum heading into 2025. At 67-68, Tampa Bay is 6.0 games out of the third and final AL Wild Card spot with 27 games remaining on the schedule.

After they close out their series with the San Diego Padres on Sunday, Littell and the Rays will take on the Twins at 1:40 p.m. ET on Monday.

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