CINCINNATI -- It was a disappointing day on Saturday for right-hander Manuel Rodríguez, as Rays skipper Kevin Cash announced before the club's 6-2 loss to the Reds that the high-leverage reliever will have surgery on his right elbow on Aug. 8.
The procedure will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister, and is expected to address a flexor tendon repair. His UCL will be evaluated during surgery to determine if any additional intervention is necessary or if a Tommy John repair is needed.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Cash said Saturday. “[He] got a couple of opinions, and felt like that was the direction and path that we're going to go.”
Rodríguez had proven himself to be a valuable piece of the Tampa Bay 'pen this season, going 1-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 31 appearances, with 25 strikeouts across 30 1/3 innings.
Out since June 11 with a right forearm strain, Rodríguez worked his way back to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham and appeared to be on track to rejoin the Rays after the All-Star break. Now he will miss the rest of the 2025 season, with a big chunk of '26 likely to be lost as well.
The 28-year-old left his rehab outing on July 11 after firing his sixth pitch, a fastball that clocked in at just 91.6 mph. That’s a steep drop-off from the 97.2 mph his sinker was averaging in the Majors this season.
The news is the latest blow for the Rays, whose bullpen has posted a 6.04 ERA since June 27, with 10 losses charged to relievers during that stretch.
The Rays acquired reliever Bryan Baker from the Orioles on July 10, but the 'pen still seems like an area they could address leading up to Thursday's Trade Deadline, especially after Baker left Saturday's game after straining his right calf.