On Thursday, the Rays announced the addition of right-hander Tyler Zuber to their 40-man roster. However, Zuber won’t be joining the major league squad immediately as he has been optioned to Triple-A Durham. With this move, Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster now includes 38 players.
Zuber was signed by Tampa Bay from the Atlantic League in mid-May, following a strong performance with the Long Island Ducks. He has continued his impressive form with the Durham Bulls, maintaining a stellar 2.49 ERA alongside a notable 33.3% strikeout rate and a 6.9% walk rate.
The 30-year-old Zuber previously pitched for the Royals during the 2020-2021 seasons, demonstrating a knack for strikeouts but struggling with control issues. In his rookie year in 2020, he posted a 4.09 ERA over 22 innings, striking out 30.3% of batters but also walking 20.2%. Overall in the majors, Zuber has accumulated 49 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA, a 24.8% strikeout rate, and a 16.7% walk rate.
While Zuber did not encounter significant command issues before his major league debut, he faced shoulder problems in 2021 and 2022, causing him to miss the entire 2022 season. The extent to which these shoulder issues affected his performance in 2020-2021 is uncertain. Nevertheless, Zuber’s impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio in Durham this season suggests he could be a valuable addition to the Rays’ bullpen in the near future.
Tampa Bay boasts a deep bullpen, with right-hander Shawn Armstrong being the only current member experiencing notable struggles in 2024. Despite this depth, the Rays recently traded Phil Maton to the Mets and are reportedly open to dealing other veteran arms while remaining competitive. Potential trade candidates include Pete Fairbanks, Jason Adam, Colin Poche, Kevin Kelly, and Garrett Cleavinger, any of whom could make way for Zuber or another internal option. Moving one of these pitchers could also reduce payroll costs for the Rays, similar to previous transactions involving Maton and Aaron Civale.
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