The Tampa Bay Rays are alive and well in the AL East division race. The New York Yankees held a convincing lead earlier in the season, but the Rays' strong play mixed with the Yankees recent struggles have propelled them back into the race. However, catching New York will be a challenge.

The Rays recently lost All-Star pitcher Shane McClanahan to the IL. Meanwhile, Tyler Glasnow is still working his way back from injury. Tampa Bay does not have an offense capable of overcoming pitching injuries. The Rays are going to need a starting pitcher to step up in their absences.

Who is the one Rays player that needs to step up amid their AL East race with the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays?

Corey Kluber

One could make an argument for just about any offensive player. But the Rays have never relied on an offensive player to win games. They tend to trust analytics and manufacture runs in any manner possible.

You also could have made an argument for pitchers Drew Rasmussen or Jeffrey Springs. But Springs and Rasmussen have stepped up all season long. They both own ERAs under 3 and have been valuable pitchers in the rotation.

The player that needs to step up is veteran right-hander Corey Kluber.

Kluber, a former Cy Young award winner with the Cleveland Guardians, has a 4.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP as of this story's publication. He's only walked 18 batters compared to 122 strikeouts. The fact of the matter is that 36-year old Corey Kluber still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Steady veteran in the Rays rotation

Corey Kluber is the definition of a steady veteran. He's not having a bad season by any means. If he can get hot down the stretch, the Rays will find themselves in position to take the AL East lead from the Yankees.

The good thing for Tampa Bay is that Corey Kluber has already begun to step up in McClanahan's absence. The veteran has worked at least 6 innings in each of his previous 3 starts while not surrendering more than 3 runs in any of those outings. His most recent start saw him work 7 innings of shutout baseball against the Yankees.

Kluber is hitting his stride at the right moment. The Rays feature a good enough bullpen where Kluber will get the job done by working anywhere from 5-6 innings. But if he can go 7 and beyond, that is simply icing on the cake.

Can the Rays catch the Yankees even if Corey Kluber does not step up?

If Kluber backslides down the stretch that would hurt the Rays chances of catching New York. It would place a ton of pressure on Drew Rasmussen and the rest of the rotation.

It also may force Tampa Bay into bringing Shane McClanahan back sooner than they would like.

But Corey Kluber is in a good spot right now and Tampa Bay expects him to continue pitching well. He will continue to be a pivotal contributor as McClanahan rehabs from his injury.

The Rays are 4.5 games out of the AL East heading into a 3-game weekend series with the Yankees as of this story's publication. Corey Kluber is slated to start Saturday's game in New York. He can help the Rays in a major way by turning in his fifth quality start in a row.