The Tampa Bay Rays find themselves in what appears as a season-long battle for the American League East title, and they may soon get a huge boost to their starting rotation.
The Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney reports that left-hander Matt Moore will begin a Minor League rehab assignment at some point in the coming week, and Moore could possibly join the Rays' rotation in late June to early July depending on how many rehab starts and innings the team wants him to throw.
Moore is currently on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery he had performed on April 22 of 2014. He made only two starts before landing on the disabled list with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, and he resumed throwing recently.
Moore threw 46 pitches in three innings of an extended spring training game on May 28, and, as Mooney notes, "Reports from the Rays’ training staff said everything went well." Moore pitched to the Boston Red Sox players also working in the extended program.
In his 2+ years in the Majors, all with the Rays, Moore is 29-17 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. He was a 2013 American League All-Star when he posted a record of 17-4 and a 3.29 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 27 starts. He pitched 10 innings and allowed three earned runs over two starts last season before his injury.
Entering play on May 29, the Rays are in second place in the A.L. East at 24-24, one game behind the New York Yankees. Their pitching staff leads the American League with a 3.42 team ERA, and the starting rotation ranks second at 3.36. The problem is in the offense, which ranks 13th in runs scored.
Getting Moore back to his 2013 form will give the Rays a major boost, and adding some punch in the lineup before the July 31 trade deadline could make things interesting in St. Petersburg in the second half of the season.