\u201cTo be honest, I feel like my stuff is better than it was when I was drafted,\u201d Whitley said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of getting confidence with it. Last year I got on a really hot streak in Triple A and when I look back on that, it was just a confidence thing. Throwing up a bunch of zeroes and keep doing that. If I can keep doing that, we\u2019ll be in a really good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitley, 27, was the No. 17 pick in the 2016 draft and was pitching in Double A by the time he was 19. He was suspended 50 games in 2018 for violating the minor-league drug program and then endured a series of injuries to his oblique, lat and shoulder before having Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2021. In recent years he\u2019s been sidelined with knee problems.<\/p>\n
The Rays and pitching coach Kyle Snyder have had remarkable success in resuscitating the careers of pitchers with high-end stuff, and they\u2019re hopeful that some minor adjustments will help Whitley with the control problems that have plagued him in recent years.<\/p>\n
Whitley has given up 10 walks in 13 innings between Triple A and the majors this season, but also has 17 strikeouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need innings, we need outs, we need to compete right now, but we can still develop,\u201d manager Kevin Cash said. \u201cYou look at what (Drew Rasmussen) and (Shane) Baz have done. Ras added a changeup and Baz a cutter (on Sunday) so there\u2019s still developing that goes on at this level in between outings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that will be the emphasis but we ultimately want to simplify the message and let him find his way to have some success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitley, who has been friends with Baz since they were teenagers, called the Rays right-hander as soon as he heard about the trade. It was a relief, he said, to know where he was going after the uncertainty of being designated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were rough (days) because I had been with the organization my entire career,\u201d Whitley said. \u201cOnce you get axed from that situation, there is so much uncertainty in the air, especially with the way I pitched. It wasn\u2019t all bad, but it wasn\u2019t all great either.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that the Astros were doing anything wrong, it\u2019s just at some point things weren\u2019t working out. So I\u2019ve kind of thought a change of scenery would help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stay updated on Tampa Bay\u2019s sports scene<\/p>\n
Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida\u2019s college football teams every day.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re all signed\u00a0up!<\/p>\n
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters\u00a0in\u00a0your\u00a0inbox? Let\u2019s\u00a0get\u00a0started.<\/p>\n
Explore all your options<\/a>Thank goodness Manny Rodriguez put up his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance in his last outing in Boston on June 9, but the right-handed reliever woke up the following morning with tightness in his forearm<\/a>. That led to some uneasy moments before meeting with team doctor Koco Eaton and discovering there was no ligament damage, just some inflammation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m content, but not happy,\u201d Rodriguez said via interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. \u201cBecause I trained hard in the offseason and I wasn\u2019t expecting this but it\u2019s a good thing it\u2019s not my ligament.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to rest for two more days and then start throwing and hopefully everything will be fine by then.\u201d<\/p>\n Rehab rumblings<\/p>\n Shane McClanahan\u2019s rehab<\/a> appears to be on the upswing after some concerns last week following a bullpen session. McClanahan has been sidelined since late spring with nerve irritation in his left arm. <\/p>\n \u201cShane is doing great. I mean, really good. Says it\u2019s the best he\u2019s felt,\u201d Cash said. \u201cWe\u2019re still having him see Dr. (Gregory) Pearl (Tuesday) in Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n In other rehab news, Richie Palacios (knee) will play outfield and second base at Triple-A Durham this week after going 1-for-6 with two walks while at designated hitter and leftfield over the weekend. Ha-Seong Kim will do some light activity while allowing inflammation to subside on his hamstring and the Rays will soon have new plan for Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) after taking some time off following a setback.<\/p>\n Miscellany First base umpire Bruce Dreckman incorrectly called Josh Lowe out on a bunt attempt with two runners on base in the second inning Monday. Video replay showed Lowe easily beat the throw, but the Rays had burned their challenge an inning earlier on a close pickoff attempt of Jackson Holliday. \u2026 Lowe\u2019s leadoff homer in the first inning was the first time he\u2019d left the yard at Steinbrenner Field since May 21. \u2026 The Rays had a video tribute for Orioles reliever Andrew Kittredge between the first and second innings. Kittredge spent seven years in Tampa Bay and made the 2021 All-Star team.<\/p>\n \u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter<\/a> to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.<\/p>\n Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast<\/a> to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.<\/p>\n Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\nRays reliever Manny Rodriguez says he hopes to start throwing again in two days. [\u00a0CHRIS O’MEARA | AP\u00a0]<\/p>\n
Rays manager Kevin Cash disputes a call with first base umpire Bruce Dreckman, when outfielder Josh Lowe bunted during the second inning. Replays clearly showed Lowe was safe. [\u00a0JEFFEREE WOO | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n