The Tampa Bay Rays held their first workout of Spring Training. Pitchers and Catchers reported this week, with the first team workout next Tuesday.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays held their first workout of Spring Training on Thursday. The session was only mandatory for pitchers and catchers, but you would never know that with the number of positional players in Port Charlotte.

Kevin Cash and Erik Neander attribute some of that to the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Another part of it is the fact that there are plenty of new faces on the roster. 

“You have a combination of guys who experienced what we went through last year and probably aren’t very happy about it,” manager Kevin Cash said. “They were incredibly accountable of not performing, myself included, to the way we wanted or the way we were capable of and I think there is a lot of motivation to turn that around.”

Cash confirmed no one entered camp injured, which is great news. That includes Shane McClanahan, who might have been the happiest player on the baseball field today. A nerve injury cost him his 2025 season, and it took a toll on his personal life. 

“This entire process has tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’m glad to have turned that corner and have that end goal — that finish line in sight,” McClanahan said.

The University of South Florida product will be on an innings limit this year, considering he has not pitched in a Major League Baseball game since August of 2023. The team is optimistic that the other starters, guys like Ryan Pepiot and Nick Martinez, can chew innings as they’re a bit more built for the workload.

Some other tidbits to know, the Rays plan to do a closer-by-committee approach. 

The outfield woes will hopefully get better as Neander has brought in a slew of options to challenge one another. Expect to see Cedric Mullins and Jake Fraley against right-handed pitchers. Jonny DeLuca will play against southpaws. The battle for the other outfield spot against lefties is up for grabs. Chandler Simpson should get a steady workload throughout the season. 

Also, there is a greater appreciation for Tropicana Field entering this season after the rental experience last year in Tampa. 

“Home being home is a bigger deal than maybe we had appreciated or thought of prior to doing it a year somewhere else,” President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander said.

Ryan Pepiot added, “The clubhouse staff is more excited for me than I am. They don’t have to dry my jersey after every inning.”

It won’t be long before we start seeing Spring Training games. The team will begin action next Saturday with the Atlanta Braves coming to Port Charlotte on Feb. 21.