Tampa Bay Rays May Have Added To Rotation By Dipping Into Bullpen
Griffin Jax went through the Minnesota system as a starting pitcher and was primarily a starter for the Twins during his rookie season of 2021.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - Griffin Jax of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during a game at Tropicana Field on April 26, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) Getty Images Leave it to the Rays Way. Versatility has long been preferred among position players and pitchers.
The organization acquires players who may be asked, often sooner than later, to embrace a new role. For righthanded pitcher Griffin Jax, his immediate future could have him returning to a role he was once very familiar with. Jax started the Rays’ 4-2 win Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field against the Twins, the team that drafted him a decade ago out of the Air Force Academy.
He went through Minnesota’s system as a starting pitcher. That changed, at least temporarily, when he was summoned to the parent club in June 2021. Then-manager Rocco Baldelli used him in a long relief role, though injuries prompted Jax to join the rotation and make 14 starts through the end of the season.
The results were not good as he went 3-5 with a 6. 10 ERA and allowed 18 homers in 69 1/3 innings. He went to the bullpen in 2022 and became an effective setup man.