My Two Cents: Hurricane Ian Tempers Excitement Over Tyler Glasnow's Return
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — One thing that Tyler Glasnow proved over the past couple of years before his elbow finally needed fixing was that he is one of the best pitchers in baseball.
He underwent extensive Tommy John surgery last June, and a 2022 return didn't seem likely. There was a sliver of hope though, and when Glasnow put in the thousands of hours of rehab work, even he said it wasn't going to happen unless he felt good after every outing.
But thankfully, that's exactly what has happened. He threw bullpen sessions, and checked all the boxes. Same with live batting practice. Check He got through all four rehab starts in Durham, too, and threw so well that he's set to make his 2022 debut with the Rays on Wednesday night in Cleveland.
It's an exciting time. "It's going to be nice to see him in our uniform,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.
The only bad thing? While Glasnow and the Rays are sitting in their hotel rooms in Cleveland waiting for Wednesday's 6:10 p.m. ET game, the TVs are all on hurricane coverage. Hurricane Ian is ripping through southwest Florida on Wednesday, and the footage is scary bad. For those of us who know Fort Myers and Port Charlotte and communities in between, it's a sad, sad day. This storm is causing billions of dollars in damage.
That's what stinks about real-world stuff getting in the way of fun baseball stories. It's Tyler Glasnow! It's the Rays! It's a day closer to clinching a playoff spot!
Darn you, Ian.
It's been 421 long days since Glasnow has pitched in a big-league game. He's had his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) repaired, and had a brace installed too, keeping it even stronger.
When he's met with the media in the past month, he keeps talking about how great he feels, and how sound his elbow is for the first time in his career. This from a guy who's 16-4 in the past three years.
And now, he says he's even better.
People who have seen him pitch in Durham simply rave about him. He faced 26 batters in four starts, and allowed only one hit. Fourteen of the 26 hitters — including former Rays teammate Brett Phillips, who's currently playing for Norfolk, the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A club, His breaking balls are impressive, and he's touched 99 on the radar gun several times with his fastball,
“He is unhuman. His stuff is just, probably the most purest, nastiest stuff I’ve ever seen,'' said Rays reliever Dusten Knight, who was in Durham for Glasnow's fist three starts. He looks like a guy who’s ready to go out and pitch the seventh game of the World Series.”
Glasnow was added to the roster on Wednesday, and will start against the Guardians. The goal is to have him pitch two or three innings, somewhere in the 45-50 pitch range.
“Two innings of Glasnow is still a huge plus to our team,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ll see where we get. We’ll see how Cleveland goes, Wednesday goes. I think it’s fair we’re going to hover around that 45-pitch mark. Would like to get him three innings. If we do, great. If we don’t, that’s fine, too.
He’s answered a lot of questions for himself, which is good, physically. To see him perform at the big-league level a couple of times before the potential of some postseason action, I think we’re all excited to see it.”
A lot of people back in Tampa Bay and across Florida aren't going to be able to see in Hurricane Ian batters the state. There is no local radio coverage of their next three games through Friday. The games are on TV, but many won't have power.
And all of that is too bad. The Rays are getting close to clinching a playoff spot. Their magic number is down to three now, and they could clinch as soon as Thursday night if they can win and the Orioles continue to lose.
To make room for Glanow, the Rays optioned right-hander Cristofer Ogando to Triple-A Durham. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays transferred second baseman Brandon Lowe (low back discomfort) to the 60-day injured list.
Related stories on Rays baseball
- RAYS WIN IN KLUBER RETURN (Tuesday): Corey Kluber returned to Cleveland for the first time, and Tampa Bay got a huge win in 11 innings thanks to Harold Ramirez's two-run double, giving the Rays a 6-5 win. Calvin Faucher got the save, the first of his career, and their magic number is now down to three. CLICK HERE
- AL PLAYOFF PICTURE (Tuesday): The New York Yankees clinched the American League East division title on Tuesday night after beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2. They'll get a first-round bye. Here are Tuesday's summaries, Wednesday's pitching matchups and our up-to-the-minute playoff positioning tracker. CLICK HERE
- RAYS 2022 SCHEDULE: Here are the results of every game this season for the Rays, plus the final eight games of the regular season. CLICK HERE
