Rays selects Cooper Criswell, Kevin Herget and Javy Guerra

1:05 p.m: Topkins relay that McKay was actually moved to 60 Day IL to open another 40-man roster spot. The Rays also announced the moves, saying Criswell was “added” to the list, with Guerra and Herget “chosen.” That seems to suggest Criswell is a COVID surrogate, temporarily taking Raley’s spot on the list. This means he can be removed from the roster at a later date without being placed on waivers.

9:05 a.m: The Rays are making a number of changes to their pitching team ahead of a major five-game series in Toronto that begins tonight (Twitter connections out Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Three right-handers are added to the roster: Cooper Criswell, Kevin Hert and Javy Guerra. Two other right-handers Luis Patino and Calvin Faucher, were chosen after yesterday’s game to open up a few spots in the active squad. left handed Brooks Raley will open a third by being blacklisted and ineligible to cross the Canada-US border due to his unvaccinated status. None of Criswell, Herget or Guerra are on the 40-man list, which currently stands at 39. Raley doesn’t count towards that number while he’s on the banned list, meaning the club must still have a spot open. Speculatively, they could switch to the left Brendan McKay Added to the 60 Day Unjust List after news of his Tommy John surgery.

Criswell, 26, made his MLB debut last year with a 1 1/3 inning cup of coffee with the Angels. They put him on the 60-day IL this year because of shoulder pain and eventually lost him to the Rays in July to a waiver claim. Since that claim, Criswell has pitched 27 1/3 innings in eight games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He has a 3.95 ERA over that time with a 20.8% strikeout rate, 4.7% walk rate, and 51.9% ground ball rate. He was drafted in July and immediately released after waivers were released. He’ll get the start for tonight’s game and could at least give the Rays a few frames. Each of his last eight appearances has been between three and four innings.

Herget, 31, spent many years in the Cardinals system and one in Cleveland before joining the Rays on a minor league deal. He was selected to Tampa’s roster in August but was earmarked for action before his MLB debut. He’s pitched 91 2/3 innings in 19 appearances for the Bulls this year, making him another multi-inning option for the Rays. He has a 2.55 ERA for the season with a 24.7% strikeout rate, 3.8% walk rate, and 35.9% ground ball rate.

Guerra, 26, has 34 innings of MLB experience so far, mostly with the Padres. He was sold to the Rays for cash in April but was earmarked for use in May to clear waivers and go straight to Durham. When the Rays last traveled to Toronto, he briefly returned to the team as a COVID replacement. He was fielded in the more traditional single-inning reliever role, having pitched 41 1/3 innings in 43 triple-A games this year. He has a 1.74 ERA at this distance with a 31.9% strikeout rate, a 9.8% walk rate, and a 47.1% grounder rate.

Thanks to tomorrow’s doubleheader, the Rays and Jays are set to play five games over the next four days, making it pretty logical for Tampa to add some fresh arms. Josh Fleming and Jimmy Yacabonis also travel with the team in the taxi squadron and make them candidates for the “29. man” of the club for the twin bill. Along with the Mariners, the Rays and Blue Jays hold the American League wild card spots, with all three teams within half a game of each other. That means these competitions will be key to setting the picture for the postseason in a couple of weeks. In this year’s new playoff format, the first round will be played entirely on the home field of the top-ranked team, so there’s a significant difference between first wild card finish and second/third.