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  Bradford DoolittleDec 9, 2025, 05:59 PM ET

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  • MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Been with ESPN since 2013

ORLANDO, Fla. — In hopes of landing the next No. 1 draft pick, the Chicago White Sox enlisted the aid of their last top overall pick. The presence of Hall of Famer Harold Baines worked like a charm.

The White Sox secured the first pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball draft by winning the annual draft lottery Tuesday at the winter meetings. Chicago entered the lottery with the best odds for landing the pick, but with a 27.7% chance at the selection, it was far from a sure thing. In the end, Chicago got what it wanted.

“It’s a significant, significant event for us, and it can’t be overstated how important it is,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “We’ve been hard at work at bringing talent into the organization in different ways. Obviously, the amateur draft is an avenue, and now to be able to get a chance at the top talent in the draft is really exciting.”

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As the picks were revealed one by one in a dark ballroom of the Hilton Signia in Orlando, illuminated only by studio lights for the MLB TV broadcast of the proceedings, the last two teams still alive were the White Sox, represented by Baines, and the Rays, represented by ebullient former outfielder Brett Phillips, who suggested he might perform the airplane celebration if Tampa Bay won the lottery.

Instead, it was Chicago and the more subdued Baines who took the night. Baines, who entered the Hall of Fame in 2019, was the draft’s top selection in 1977, a time so different that he said he didn’t have representation when White Sox executive Roland Hemond called to tell him the club was taking him first.

Things have changed. Though when asked which outcome he preferred — 1977 or 2025 — Baines was straightforward.

“My own,” Baines quipped. “There wasn’t this hoopla then. It’s exciting to be here. I’m happy for the organization. I’m still a part of it.”

The White Sox set an MLB record with 121 losses in 2024, and while the 2025 season was dismal by most teams’ standards, Chicago cut the loss total to a less-notable 102 and the made-over roster was dominated by up-and-coming players. They will soon add another.

Pick, Team1. Chicago White Sox2. Tampa Bay Rays3. Minnesota Twins4. San Francisco Giants5. Pittsburgh Pirates6. Kansas City Royals7. Baltimore Orioles8. Athletics9. Atlanta Braves10. Colorado Rockies11. Washington Nationals12. Los Angeles Angels13. St. Louis Cardinals14. Miami Marlins15. Arizona Diamondbacks16. Texas Rangers17. Houston Astros18. Cincinnati Reds

Among the candidates to be taken early in the draft, a lot of attention has gone to UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, who hit .353 with 23 homers and 74 RBIs in 66 games for the Bruins and has been touted by some outlets as the best shortstop prospect in years.

Now, Getz has carte blanche to add another impact talent such as Cholowsky to his emerging core, though the general manager wasn’t about to tip his hand after the lottery on Tuesday.

“There’s a couple guys that are standouts right now,” Getz said. “You’ve still got to do the work. You stay at it, and you’re open-minded. But now that we’ve received the No. 1 pick, I’m fairly confident tonight I’ll be diving in a little bit more.”

Other winners from lottery night included the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants.

The Royals, represented at the lottery by manager Matt Quatraro, were slated for the 13th pick but jumped to No. 6. The Giants, represented by former outfielder Randy Winn, jumped from 12th to fourth.

On the flip side, the New York Mets fell out of the lottery altogether, completing a dismal day in Queens. Because of their status as a high-level, luxury-tax-paying team, the Mets needed to get into the top six to avoid dropping. They didn’t, and on the same day they saw their star closer, Edwin Diaz, sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets came out of the lottery with the 27th pick of the first round.

For the White Sox, after a couple of tough years in the standings as Getz’s extensive rebuild has taken shape, the news was much better, and Tuesday night was a time to rejoice.

“We’re busy — good busy,” Getz said. “But tonight, it’s really about getting the group together and celebrating the No. 1 pick.”

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MLB draft lottery (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

There are two hours from when the MLB Draft lottery is held to when the broadcast actually announces the picks.

For the 2026 draft lottery, that buffer proved useful.

The Nationals, Rockies and Angels were ineligible to win a lottery pick this year. The way that MLB runs the lottery, their ping pong combinations remain in play, but any time one of those combinations comes up, the draw is declared null and the pick is redrawn.

In total, a little more than 40% of the 1,001 combinations resulted in null draws. And as soon as a team was selected as a lottery pick, it also cannot win again, so those picks also are added to the null draws.Â

Here’s a breakdown of how things unfolded in the room.

White Sox Lock In Early

There was little drama at the top of the draft this year. The simple rule is high-numbered ping pong balls mean teams with low odds could win. Low numbers belong to the teams with the highest odds.

In the first drawing, the ping pong ball air machine turned on. Jack Clark pushed the button to open the air tube for the first time and No. 13 popped up.

13. High number.

But the second ping pong ball to pop up was No. 1. Low number. Only two ping pong balls in, the White Sox already had a strong grip on the No. 1 pick. Unless a No. 2, 3 or 4 came up in the final two ping pong balls, the White Sox would claim the top pick.

There were no more low numbers. The No. 11 ping pong ball was followed by the 12th.

And with that, the White Sox have a chance to make a franchise-altering pick.

It also means the White Sox were winners for not being eligible for last year’s lottery. They had “won†the sixth pick in the draft in the 2025 lottery, but they were ineligible, making it a null draw. If the White Sox had picked sixth last year, they would have been ineligible to pick first this year.

A Run Of Null Draws Followed

At that point, the second draw saw a familiar team win it. The Nationals†had a large number of the combinations if No. 2 was pulled. 9-11-2-14 meant the Nationals “won.†But the Nationals were ineligible to pick in the lottery, so it was declared a null draw.

The White Sox then “won†again with the third draw. Having already won the No. 1 pick, that was also a null draw. The Rays became the first big surprise when they won the fourth draw to claim the second pick. The Rays only had 18 of the 1,001 number combinations, but 10-12-6-14 was one of those.

The Nationals then “won†again on back-to-back draws, as once again the No. 2 ping pong ball popped up.

And then the White Sox “won†again as well. So seven draws in, there were only two picks finalized.

We werenâ€t done. The first draw of the eighth draw was No. 1. The only possible combinations with if a one was drawn were wins for the White Sox (who already had won) and the Rockies (who were ineligible). This time the Rockies “won†and another null draw was declared.

The Nationals came up again with the ninth draw. At this point the Nationals had been pulled four times in nine draws, even if they couldnâ€t win a pick.

At this point, people in the room started checking their watches. This drawing had now gone on for 15 minutes and it wasnâ€t halfway through.

Real Picks Begin To Land

The 10th draw brought an actual result. The Twins claimed the third pick (3-9-5-13).

High numbers and chaos arrived with the 11th draw. The first ball was 12, the second was 14 and the third was 11. The Mets had only four number combinations that would win them a lottery pick. It meant even more to them because unless they won the lottery, their first-round pick would be pushed back 10 spots because they exceeded the second luxury tax threshold.

Mets scouting director Kris Gross was the only team representative who came to witness the draw. He was clearly trying to will the No. 10 ping pong ball through the tube.

It was an eight. The Giants, a team with only eight number combinations, had the fourth pick.

The Angels†numbers came up with the 12th draw, which meant that all three ineligible teams had seen their number called.

With the 13th draw, the Pirates number came up (8-3-9-14). Unfortunately for the Pirates, this may be losing by winning. They had solid odds to land a top pick. Instead, they finished with a pick slightly higher than they would if they had failed to win the lottery. Because they also won the fifth pick last year, they will be ineligible to have a lottery pick next year.

Remember how the Giants only had eight number combinations? They won again with the 14th draw. Then the Twins, Angels, Twins and Pirates saw their numbers come up in the 15th through 18th draws.

Final Pick Comes Down To One Ball

To select six picks, it took more than three times as many draws to get to those six picks.

With the 19th draw, the first ball was 14, the second was 11, the third was nine.

If the fourth ball was 10 or 13, the Mets would win the sixth pick. They had the best odds of having their number called at that point. Gross took a deep breath, intensely focused on the path of a ping pong ball.

That final number was clearly a double digit number. Clark picked it out, held it up and showed it to the assembled group.

“Twelve.â€

That was a Royals combination. Gross knew that his team came one ping pong ball away twice from a dramatically higher pick and the bonus pool allotment pick that comes with it. Instead, the Mets will now pick 27th.

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The Rays are finalizing a two-year contract with free-agent left-hander Steven Matz, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical.

Matzâ€s first season as a primary reliever was by all accounts a success. The left-handerâ€s 3.05 ERA in 2025 was his lowest since his six-start debut season with the pennant-winning 2015 Mets (2.27), and it included a stellar stretch after a midseason trade from the Cardinals to the Red Sox. After posting a 3.44 ERA in 32 outings with St. Louis, Matz closed the regular season with a 2.08 ERA in 21 appearances for Boston.

Matz, who turns 35 next May, began a slow transition from starter to reliever after signing a four-year, $44 million deal with St. Louis before the 2022 season. The lefty, who started 136 of his 141 games before joining the Cardinals, started 10 of his 15 games in 2022, 17 of 25 in 2023 and seven of 12 in 2024. In 2025, though, Matzâ€s move to the bullpen became essentially full time: He started just twice in 53 appearances, topping out at five innings pitched.

The southpawâ€s four-pitch arsenal is led by his sinker, which Matz threw 58.4% of the time in 2025, landing him inside the top 10 of qualifying pitchers. Matzâ€s most effective pitch was his curveball (.197 batting average against), while his changeup, which has elite vertical drop, also saw decent results. Matzâ€s repertoire also includes a little-used slider, which he threw only 18 times in all of 2025.

The lefty improved considerably on his 5.08 ERA in 44 1/3 innings for St. Louis in 2024 by limiting fly balls and pulled contact. He cut his 7.9% walk rate from â€24 by more than half, issuing just 11 free passes in 76 2/3 innings — a 3.6% walk rate that ranked fourth among MLB hurlers (min. 50 innings pitched). Matz hasnâ€t had an above-average strikeout rate since 2022, but heâ€s still finding ways to get hitters out effectively.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — City officials in St. Petersburg showed off the newly enclosed dome at Tropicana Field on Wednesday and said they are confident the ballpark will be ready for the Tampa Bay Rays’ homer opener on April 6 against the Chicago Cubs following work to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Milton.

“We have no concern about being open or ready for opening day,” said Beth Herendeen, managing director of City Development Administration. “We hope we keep it that way.”

Some seam work remains on the final panels to close small gaps at the top and interior repairs are well underway.

Tropicana Field sustained extensive damage on Oct. 9, 2024. High winds ripped sections of the original roof, allowing rain to fall into the stadium bowl for months. Water caused mold and damage to electrical, sound and broadcast systems.

The city contracted ETS, AECOM Hunt and Hennessy Construction to lead the repairs, and brought back Geiger Engineering, the dome’s original designer, to help reengineer the roof. The synthetic membranes of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are thicker and built to current wind-load codes.

“The roof that was replaced had to be designed to today’s codes,” city architect Raul Quintana said. “It’s a much stronger material than it was 35 years ago, and it’s going to last.”

The Rays played 2025 home games across the bay in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

Installation of the new roof began in August, and the final panel was put in place Nov. 21. Some triangular panels still show color variation, with newer pieces beige and earlier ones already bleached white, but Quintana said they will eventually match.

“It took about three months to bleach out the ones that were first installed,” he said.

The air-conditioning system has been reactivated, and contractors are focused on electrical work, seating and sound equipment. The team is upgrading the luxury suites and the stadium videoboard.

“Drywall is being hung, seats are being painted, and the catwalk electric is being installed,” Herendeen said. “The new stadium sound system will be installed this month and tested in January.”

New artificial turf is scheduled to arrive in mid-January. Other final updates include new home plate club seats, clubhouse carpet and lockers, and new flooring on the outfield deck.

Tampa Bay starts the season with a nine-game trip to St. Louis, Milwaukee and Minnesota.

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Nov 18, 2025, 09:21 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins took a small step toward rebuilding their bullpen Tuesday by acquiring reliever Eric Orze in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league pitcher Jacob Kisting.

Orze had a 3.02 ERA and three saves in 33 relief appearances last season for the Rays, with 19 walks, 40 strikeouts and a .244 opponents’ batting average in 41â…” innings. The 28-year-old right-hander also made 24 appearances at Triple-A Durham, posting a 2.20 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 28â…” innings.

A cancer survivor, Orze was a fifth-round draft pick in 2020 by the New York Mets and made his major league debut for them on July 8, 2024.

During the week leading up to the MLB trade deadline on July 31, the Twins dealt away their top four relievers: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland and Brock Stewart.

Kisting, 22, was a 14th-round draft pick by the Twins in 2024. The right-hander had a 3.79 ERA with 23 walks and 77 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings over 30 appearances this year between Low-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids.

In other roster moves, outfielders Jake Fraley and Christopher Morel were designated for assignment by the Rays, who traded infielder Tanner Murray and outfielder Everson Pereira to the Chicago White Sox for right-handers Yoendrys Gómez and Steven Wilson.

Tampa Bay also released right-hander Forrest Whitley and traded infielder Tristan Gray to the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander Luis Guerrero.

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TAMPA — The Rays added three talented prospects to their 40-man roster, made three trades to bolster their pitching depth at all levels and cut ties with Christopher Morel as they trimmed their surplus of outfielders amid a flurry of transactions involving 14 players on Tuesday night.

Hereâ€s a rundown of all their activity:

Added to the 40-man roster: C Dominic Keegan, INF Jadher Areinamo, RHP Alex Cook

Designated for assignment: OF Christopher Morel, OF Jake Fraley

Released: RHP Forrest Whitley

Trade: Acquired RHP Yoendrys Gómez and RHP Steven Wilson from the White Sox for INF/OF Tanner Murray and OF Everson Pereira

Trade: Acquired Minor League RHP Luis Guerrero from the Red Sox for INF Tristan Gray

Trade: Acquired Minor League RHP Jacob Kisting from the Twins for RHP Eric Orze

The biggest move was the Rays†decision to part with Morel, the headliner of their return for All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes in a 2024 Trade Deadline deal with the Cubs. Tampa Bay was intrigued by Morelâ€s powerful swing, athleticism and attitude, but he never rediscovered the home run stroke he showed with Chicago, and he wound up as a part-time outfielder by the end of this past season.

Morel slashed just .208/.277/.355 with 14 homers and a 33.3% strikeout rate while totaling minus-1.1 WAR per FanGraphs in 154 games with Tampa Bay.

With an already crowded outfield that needs improvement and with little interest in Morel on the trade market, the Rays removed him from their 40-man roster. The arbitration-eligible 26-year-old will likely be non-tendered on Friday, unless another club picks him up before then.

“Really just struggled to find consistency throughout his game. Through last year and then this year, just couldnâ€t access the power on a consistent enough basis to reach his potential,†president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “Just got to a point where the playing time and the opportunity started to tighten up as last year went on and … [we] didnâ€t feel like the opportunity was going to be there looking ahead to next year.

“We just couldnâ€t establish the consistency that we were hoping would be there. It happens, but he gave us everything he had, and we appreciate that.â€

The outfield logjam also played a part in the call to designate the arbitration-eligible Fraley, whom the Rays claimed off waivers from the Braves on Nov. 6. Tampa Bay claimed Fraley knowing it already had plenty of outfield options, but if he is non-tendered Friday and becomes a free agent, the Rays could attempt to re-sign him depending on how that situation shakes out.

Facing Tuesdayâ€s deadline to protect eligible prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, the Rays selected Keegan (their No. 15 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline), Areinamo (No. 24) and Cook.

Keegan is an offensive-minded catcher who spent this past season with Triple-A Durham. Assistant general manager Kevin Ibach said Keeganâ€s catching has “come a long way†since he was taken in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt.

Acquired from the Brewers in July for catcher Danny Jansen and assigned to Double-A Montgomery to finish the season, Areinamo has an elite contact rate despite an unorthodox swing, and he has shown it with a .293/.349/.417 slash line in the Minors. The 21-year-old is likely a second baseman in the long term, but he has also played shortstop and third base.

Cook, 24, has pitched only 123 2/3 innings in the Minors and has only 13 Double-A outings to his name. Injuries slowed his ascent and reversed an attempt to move into a starting role, but he returned to the bullpen this year and showed an overpowering fastball-slider combination that Ibach said could “help the big league club sooner than later.â€

“All three of them have really good ingredients to be contributors very short term and long term for us, so excited to add those three to the stable,†Ibach said.

In the White Sox trade, the Rays dealt the out-of-options Pereira and a strong defensive player in Murray for Gómez, an out-of-options righty who took a leap forward in September and could compete for a starting/multi-inning role on their Opening Day staff; and Wilson, a more established reliever theyâ€ve attempted to acquire previously.

“Two arms that we’ve liked for quite some time,†Ibach said. “When both of those names came up in discussions, it was just a matter of figuring out how to best manufacture a deal that would allow us to land both.â€

Guerrero, 25, was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Nov. 6 and cleared waivers, at which point he was sent outright to Triple-A, so he will report to Spring Training as a non-roster pitcher. Possessing a big arm with shaky control, Guerrero put together a 2.63 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 16 walks in 27 1/3 innings over 22 appearances for the Red Sox over the past two seasons.

Dealing Murray and the versatile Gray left Tampa Bay with only two shortstops on the 40-man roster: Taylor Walls and top prospect Carson Williams, the No. 50 overall prospect. Neander has suggested the club could add more competition to the mix this offseason.

A 14th-round pick in the 2024 Draft, Kisting debuted this past season and posted a 3.79 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings between Single-A and High-A. He has a four-pitch mix that Ibach said the Rays will “develop and fine tune†as they add another starting pitching prospect to their system.

The Rays added Whitley to their roster earlier this month to prevent him from reaching Minor League free agency, but he found a more lucrative opportunity to pitch in Japan that he wanted to pursue. The club was impressed by what the former top prospect did as a starter for Durham, but it granted his release and opened a spot on the 40-man roster.

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Nov 12, 2025, 07:11 PM ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are heading home.

The team announced Wednesday it will return to an updated Tropicana Field for the 2026 season after playing their entire 2025 home schedule at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa while damage to the Trop caused by Hurricane Milton in October 2024 was repaired.

“We are excited to return home to Tropicana Field in April and to once again join our fans and neighboring businesses in downtown St. Petersburg in celebrating the return of Rays baseball,” team CEO Ken Babby said in a statement.

Repairs to the stadium’s roof and other internal areas are ongoing, and the Rays are planning to play their home opener against the Chicago Cubs on April 6 after starting the season on the road.

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The team announced several new ticket options that go on sale Thursday, as well as ballpark upgrades including an expanded main videoboard, new video displays behind home plate and along both foul poles, a new sound system and updated suite interiors.

The team is planning events to celebrate former Rays third baseman Evan Longoria to commemorate his time with the franchise, including induction into the team hall of fame.

The Rays finished with a 41-40 record at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the Yankees, and sold out 61 of 81 games while drawing 786,750 fans. Playing home games in an open-air ballpark for the first time, the Rays experienced 17 rains delays over 16 games for a total of 17 hours, 47 minutes.

Tropicana Field’s roof was torn to shreds by Hurricane Milton. The stadium that opened in 1990 featured what the team called the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with the panels made of “translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.

The team has new owners, who are starting a search for a new ballpark that could open in 2029.

The Rays have struggled with poor attendance at the Trop, although they have at times been successful on the field with World Series appearances in 2008 and 2020.

Tampa Bay went 77-85 this year and missed the playoffs.

The team also announced infielder Bob Seymour has been released to pursue a playing opportunity in Asia.

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Misner, 27, is a Poplar Bluff, Mo., native and attended the University of Missouri from 2016-19. He was originally selected by the Royals in the 33rd round of the 2016 Draft out of Poplar Bluff High School, but he elected to go to college and turned into a first-round pick, drafted 35th overall by the Marlins in 2019.

Misner played in 71 games with Tampa Bay in 2025 and hit .213 with a .618 OPS. He made the Opening Day roster this past season for the first time in his career and, on Opening Day, he entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning only to find himself making history in the ninth when he hit a walk-off home run. He became the first player in Major League history to hit his first career home run in walk-off fashion on Opening Day.

Acquired by the Rays from the Marlins after the 2021 season, Misner made his big league debut on Aug. 2 of last season and has only 79 career games under his belt. He has a .203/.260/.325 career slash line, with nine doubles, one triple, five homers and eight stolen bases. Heâ€s more known for his defense, which is elite in center field thanks to good speed and a strong arm. Despite limited playing time this past season, he still recorded +5 in run value and +3 outs above average in the outfield, according to Statcast.

The Royals are searching for outfield help this offseason, specifically a bat that can lengthen the lineup and bring some impact in the middle of the order. Misner doesnâ€t fit that criteria, but he does offer controllable, center field depth as Kansas City assesses the rest of its roster and how it might be able to retool it this winter.

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Closer Pete Fairbanks will hit free agency after the Tampa Bay Rays declined their $11 million option on him Thursday.

The decision was among several announced by the Rays on Thursday, with the team also exercising 2026 club options for infielders Brandon Lowe and Taylor Walls.

Fairbanks, who turns 32 in December, will be one of the top relievers available in a market soft with high-leverage options. As the primary closer for the Rays over the past four seasons, he has saved 83 games and posted a 2.83 ERA, striking out 332 and walking 103 in 265.1 innings.

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With a fastball that sits at 97 mph, a well-above-average slider and a cutter that was added midseason in 2025 and graded out as an elite pitch, Fairbanks is expected to draw multiyear interest in a free agent market soft with relief options.

After the top reliever on the market, right-hander Edwin Diaz, Fairbanks slots in strongly in the second tier, with right-handers Devin Williams, Robert Suarez, Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers. Others with multiple years of closing experience include left-hander Taylor Rogers and right-handers Kyle Finnegan, Raisel Iglesias, Emilio Pagan, Kenley Jansen and David Robertson. Relievers expected to draw interest from teams include right-handers Brad Keller and Luke Weaver, plus left-handers Steven Matz and Caleb Ferguson.

While Tampa Bay valued Fairbanks, its payroll going into the 2026 season is unlikely to climb, and the Rays chose to pay the $1 million buyout on the deal rather than devote a significant portion of its payroll to a relief pitcher with a strong relief corps returning.

Fairbanks’ best full season came in 2023, when he struck out 13.5 batters per nine innings and had greater than an 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. With questions about his durability present after never throwing more than 45.1 innings in a season, Fairbanks booked a career-best 60.1 innings in 2025 and logged a career-high 27 saves.

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The Rays acquired outfielder Ryan Vilade from the Reds on Monday for cash considerations.

Vilade played eight games in 2025 for the Reds and Cardinals, with one hit in 13 at-bats. He started the season with St. Louis and was claimed off waivers by the Reds in June.

The 26-year-old spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A, where he batted .290 with 17 home runs, 11 stolen bases and an .890 OPS in 113 games.

Vilade has played parts of three seasons in the big leagues for four teams, the Rockies, Tigers, Cardinals and Reds, since his MLB debut in 2021. In 28 Major League games, he’s a .141 hitter with one home run.

Vilade was a second-round Draft pick by Colorado in 2017.

Roster moves
The Rays did not address the status of three players who finished the season on the 60-day IL: shortstop Taylor Walls, who has a club option decision due later this week; left-hander Nate Lavender, who did not pitch this year after being acquired in the Rule 5 Draft; and right-hander Brian Van Belle, who sustained a significant forearm/elbow injury in September.

The Rays made a few procedural moves on Monday to begin clearing their 60-day injured list and shaping their 40-man roster.

The Rays reinstated reliever Alex Faedo and outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the 60-day injured list and designated them for assignment. Faedo didnâ€t pitch for the Rays last season due to injuries, culminating in season-ending thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and Fairchild sustained a right oblique strain the day he was acquired by the Rays and didnâ€t play the rest of the year.

Since clubs cannot use the 60-day IL during the offseason, the Rays reinstated four players who are expected to play prominent roles for them next year: starter Shane McClanahan, center fielder Jonny DeLuca and relievers Hunter Bigge and Manuel Rodríguez. — Adam Berry

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