Rays face a harsh 2026 outlook with a thin roster and a stacked division
It could be much of the same for the Rays this season.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Rays face a harsh 2026 outlook with a thin roster and a stacked division originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . It was quite the season for the Tampa Bay Rays and their fanbase last season.
With extensive damage done to Tropicana Field as a result of Hurricane Milton, they had to play their 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field. Moving away from their home stadium allowed some players to take the next step offensively, like Junior Caminero. He crushed 45 home runs last season, which was the sixth-most across MLB.
Now, they will return to The Trop, and they are bringing back some players who missed the 2025 season, like Shane McClanahan. His presence in the starting rotation will certainly be felt. MORE: MLB fantasy baseball sleeper: Carson Williams deserves immediate draft pick, pickup after Rays news Rays face a harsh 2026 outlook with a thin roster and a stacked division The Rays did not make too many big splashes over the offseason.
The biggest names they brought in were Nick Martinez, Steven Matz, and Cedric Mullins, while losing names like Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz. On top of that, they play in arguably the most competitive division in all of baseball, the AL East. With who is returning and what they brought in over the offseason, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly does not have much faith in this team to succeed.