Tampa Bay Rays Bring Pitcher Andrew Kittredge Off Injured List a Year After Surgery

Reliever Andrew Kittredge had Tommy John surgery in June 2022, and now he is set to make his long-awaited return to the Rays this weekend.

The Tampa Bay Rays have activated relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge from the 60-day injured list, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

To make room for Kittredge on the active and 40-man rosters, the Rays designated right-handed pitcher Hector Perez for assignment. Perez spent just 24 hours in the big leagues, getting called up from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday when reliever Kevin Kelly hit the injured list.

Kittredge has spent the last 14 months on the mend, initially undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2022.

The Rays finally cleared Kittredge to resume throwing two months ago, leading to an a brief rehab assignment down in rookie ball. On July 18, the 33-year-old righty joined Triple-A Durham, where he went 3-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.575 WHIP across 12 games and 13.1 innings.

Kittredge spent the last six seasons as a go-to reliever and opener for Tampa Bay, debuting in 2017 with a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings. From 2020 to 2022, Kittredge put up a 2.17 ERA and 0.973 WHIP, even making the All-Star Game in 2021.

For his career, Kittredge is 16-7 with a 3.68 ERA and 1.232 WHIP.

Kittredge is rejoining a Rays pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries all season, with Kelly's absence from the bullpen only standing out as the latest loss. It was announced on Tuesday that ace Shane McClanahan would undergo Tommy John surgery, sticking him on the shelf alongside starters Shane Baz and Jeffrey Springs.

Tampa Bay's bullpen ranks No. 6 in the league in WHIP, but No. 16 in ERA so far this season. If Kittredge can return to his pre-injury form, he could help prevent those rankings from dropping much further at the very least.

The Rays have Thursday off, but will continue their West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Game one of that series is scheduled to get underway at 9:38 p.m. ET.

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