Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander confirmed that the Rays will give veteran pitcher Steven Matz a chance to make the Opening Day rotation.
Matz, who is entering his age-35 season, pitched out of the bullpen 51 times in 53 appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox last season. He officially signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Rays on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
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The 11-year veteran was a full-time starter for the bulk of his first seven seasons with the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays, but began pitching out of the bullpen during his first year with the Cardinals in 2022. He impressed after a midseason trade to the Red Sox, recording a 2.08 ERA and a 12-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21⅔ innings this past summer.
Matz’s 3.05 ERA last season marked his best since 2016, when he had a 3.40 ERA over 22 starts with the Mets.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Matz during the 2025 seasonDavid Frerker-Imagn Images
“There’s a real desire on his end to want to start and give that a real shot again, despite his success last year out of the bullpen, and we just believe that he has the ability to do it,” Neander said. “So we’re going to give him the opportunity to prepare as a starter, to come in and try to lock down a day.”
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What to Know About Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Steven Matz
Matz’s two starts last season came in April, and he pitched nine innings of one-run, 11-strikeout, no-walk ball against the Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds.
“There was a desire to start,” Matz acknowledged, “but I understand, ‘Hey, we need to win games. We need to have good morale in the clubhouse and not have people complaining. That stuff’s contagious.’ So I think all that stuff is important.”
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A 2009 second-round pick of the Mets, Matz is 60-62 with a 4.19 ERA in 246 games (172 starts) since debuting in 2015. He placed sixth in 2016 NL Rookie of the Year voting and owns a 3.24 ERA in 16⅔ career playoff innings.
Outside of Matz, the Rays’ Opening Day rotation would likely consist of Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Shane McClanahan, and Shane Baz. However, Rasmussen and McClanahan have extensive injury histories, which could pave the way for Matz to begin 2026 in the rotation.
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The Rays open the 2026 season against the Cardinals on Thursday, March 26, in St. Louis. Tampa Bay has not won a playoff game since 2021, and the Rays have finished a combined 31 games out of first place the last two seasons.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.