Ian Seymour's strong outing vs. Red Sox could be start of something

Ian Seymour did a tremendous job for the Rays on Monday night, allowing just a solo homer during an opener assignment that turned into a dominant four-inning, 55-pitch outing.

And that could lead to even more.

With Steven Matz bumped to the bullpen, the Rays have an open spot in their rotation, which came up for the first time on Monday.

Right-hander Mason Englert seemed positioned to fill the role, or at least to work bulk innings on that day, but after Seymour's strong showing and the score being 1-1 at the time, the Rays opted instead to use five short relievers to cover the rest of what was a 3-1 win.

Could Seymour, a starter until coming to the majors for the first time last June, return to that role when Matz's spot comes up again Sunday?

"Potentially," manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday. "We're kind of piecing things together right now. He's had starter workload in the past, so we'll just see where we are four or five days from now.

"The great thing about Ian - there's a lot of good things about Ian - but one is that he bounces back really quick, (has a) pretty resilient arm."

Using Seymour to replace Matz would keep a second lefty in the rotation (along with Shane McClanahan) and cut the number of lefty relievers from an unusually high four to three (Garrett Cleavinger, Cam Booser, Matz).

Cash said there was a lot to like about what Seymour did.

"He just mixed well," Cash said. "I think what you're seeing with him, he's a guy that's not going to overpower anybody with upper-90s fastballs, he's got to pitch. And he did. He pitched. He pitched to the edge well, used all of them.

"I think the sweeper is probably the pitch that he's gaining confidence with, that he's kind of developed here on the fly."

In the minors, Seymour was 23-9 with a 2.53 ERA over 75 games, 73 starts.

Medical matters: Kimbrel, DeLuca, Simpson

Reliever Craig Kimbrel said there were no issues with his previously sore right wrist as he threw about 25 pitches to hitters and feels he could be ready to return from the 15-day injured list when eligible on Friday.

"I felt good," he said. "Wrist feels good. Didn't really feel anything, the swelling's being controlled."

Cash said the staff will talk with Kimbrel and decide whether to have him throw another practice session or be activated.

Outfielder Jonny DeLuca, one of the hitters who faced Kimbrel, said the right hamstring he strained on May 22 also felt good and he was excited to join Triple-A Durham for a rehab assignment that starts Friday.

"I've been running, hitting, throwing, doing all baseball activities, and body feels good," he said. "It's been quicker than what we expected initially, which is awesome. Kudos to our training staff and the people getting me right."

Leftfielder Chandler Simpson went 0-for-4 as he returned to the lineup for the first time since leaving Friday's game with left thumb discomfort. He came off the bench Saturday and Monday.

The Yandy man can

Yandy Diaz led off the game with a single, extending his on-base streak to 23 games. That is the longest active such streak in the majors and the third longest of his career, behind 27 games in 2025 and 29 in 2024.

Diaz is hitting an AL-leading .325, and drawing raves from teammates. "Drew (Rasmussen) and I have actually talked about this: Yandy, he's going to go down as probably the best pure hitter we've ever played with," McClanahan said. "The guy just goes out there and hits .300 every single year."

Noting the well-muscled Diaz's home runs - 12 through Monday and on pace for what would be a career high 31 over a full season - McClanahan added, tongue in cheek: "It's nice to see him hit for some more power. Those biceps need to be put to work; they can't be that big for no reason. So, we're excited for him."

Miscellany

The Rays accomplished a lot Tuesday. They improved to 11-0 at home and 16-6 overall against AL East teams, to a majors-best 14-4 vs. lefty starters, to 10-3 in one-run games and to 32-0 when leading after eight innings. ... Bryan Baker converted his seventh straight save and 18th overall. ... Drew Rasmussen starts Wednesday's matinee coming off his Friday gem in Miami, throwing seven shutout innings with one hit and nine strikeouts. ... Cedric Mullins extended his on-base streak to 11 games.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 5:37 PM.