The Tampa Bay Rays lost starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot to the 15-day injured list with a knee infection on July 19. Despite significant swelling in his right knee that required antibiotics, the 26-year-old righty is ready to return to the Rays’ rotation. Pepiot will get the start for the team against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, according to MLB.com’s team report.
“I feel ready to go. Everything feels good … I’m just excited to get back out there with the guys,” Pepiot said, per MLB.com.
The third-year pitcher went 3.1 innings in a rehab outing Sunday with the Rays’ Double-A affiliate. The team doesn’t anticipate limiting Pepiot’s pitches in his return.
Pepiot needed to be hospitalized due to the knee infection, which is believed to have been caused by a spider bite. During the All-Star break, Pepiot went golfing and returned with the bug bite. Although his knee was severely swollen, the young pitcher traveled with the Rays to New York for a series against the Yankees.
Unfortunately, Pepiot was forced to go to Columbia University Medical Center as the swelling was so significant he was having trouble walking. “It was real bad … I couldn’t put any weight on my right leg. The first few days it was pretty swollen, a lot of fluid, and it was kind of slushy,” Pepiot recounted per the Associated Press.
Rays’ Ryan Pepiot will return to the rotation after IL stint
Pepiot last took the mound for the Rays just before the All-Star break on July 14. The (incredibly unpleasant) knee infection has kept him on the shelf for about a month. But that’s not the pitcher’s longest injury layoff. A strained oblique caused him to miss nearly five months of action last year.
After a promising major league debut for the Dodgers in 2022 Pepiot was expected to begin the 2023 season in the starting rotation. However, he suffered a left oblique strain during his last spring training start and was placed on the injured list. The strain pushed Pepiot’s 2023 debut back to August 19 but he pitched very well when healthy, posting a 2.14 ERA, 0.762 WHIP and an ERA+ of 204 in 42 innings for the Dodgers last season.
During the offseason, Pepiot was part of the trade that brought Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers. Pitching for the Rays this season he’s gone 6-5 with a 3.92 ERA, 1.076 WHIP and 94 strikeouts in 87.1 innings. Pepiot is up to 1.4 WAR in 17 starts for the Rays this year.
There’s no need for the Rays to rush Pepiot back as the team is 11 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East entering play on Wednesday. Tampa Bay has gone 11-12 since returning from the All-Star break and is now six games back in the American League Wild Card race.
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