Rays' Garrett Cleavinger likely done for season with ACL injury

Earlier today, the Rays announced that they had placed left-hander Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with a right knee sprain and recalled right-hander Trevor Kelley in a corresponding move. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times now reports that Cleavinger has an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament and is likely out for the season.

Cleavinger departed yesterday’s game against the Yankees after appearing to hurt himself while trying to tag out Aaron Hicks during a rundown (Twitter video courtesy of Bally Sports Sun: Rays). It seemed likely that the lefty would have to miss some time but he now seems to be facing a significant absence, which is obviously a rough development for both him and the team.

The 29-year-old southpaw has bounced around the league in his career, having been drafted by the Orioles but getting flipped to the Phillies in the 2017 trade that sent Jeremy Hellickson to Baltimore. He made his major league debut with the Phils in 2020 but got into just one game and then was flipped to the Dodgers in the offseason. He spent the next couple of years as a frequently-optioned depth arm for the Dodgers but was traded to the Rays at the 2022 deadline, likely at least partially motivated by the fact that he would be out of options in 2023.

Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to get into 55 games over the past four seasons with a combined 3.52 ERA in that time. His 29.8% strikeout rate is quite strong but he’s also walked 11% of batters faced. He was posting similar results this year, with an ERA of 3.00 along with a 29.2% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate. He’s already on the 15-day IL but will surely be transferred to the 60-day whenever the club needs his roster spot. He will continue to a major league salary and service time for the remainder of the schedule.

As for the Rays, they will now proceed without Cleavinger in the bullpen, leaving Colin Poche and Jalen Beeks as their left-handed relief options. Josh Fleming is also in the mix though he’s been working more as a bulk guy behind an opener as opposed to a more traditional reliever.