PORT CHARLOTTE, FL – Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox on February 23, 2026 at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When manager Kevin Cash announced Drew Rasmussen would be the Rays’ Opening Day starting pitcher, it might have served as an exclamation point as to how successful the righthander’s comeback from a third elbow procedure has been.
When Rasmussen walked off the mound following five shutout innings versus the Pirates last March 31 at Steinbrenner Field, it marked the first time in nearly two years (May 11, 2023) he logged at least two innings and had a pitch count reach 40.
After working out of the bullpen late in the 2024 season upon returning from his latest elbow ailment, which was addressed with an internal brace procedure instead of a third Tommy John surgery, Rasmussen returned to the rotation in 2025. Given how much his right elbow had endured, Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder closely monitored Rasmussen’s workload, which might have been difficult at times given how the pitcher impressed.
Rasmussen finished the season having logged 150 innings while compiling some impressive numbers: 10-5 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. The last two figures would have been fourth in the American League had he qualified (162 innings) for league leadership.
All of the above adds up to why Rasmussen was tabbed the Rays’ Opening Day starter on the afternoon of March 26 in St. Louis.
“I’m really honored,” he told reporters at the Rays’ training facility in Port Charlotte the day after Cash said the 30-year-old to take the mound at Busch Stadium. “It’s really cool to get the opportunity to pitch on Opening Day. It truly is a blessing and it is humbling.”
It has been quite a procession to the mound in recent seasons for Tampa Bay when it comes to Opening Day honors. Rasmussen will be the club’s eighth such pitcher in the last nine years. Here is a list of those who preceded him during that timeframe.
2025: Ryan Pepiot
Shane McClanahan was having a productive spring in his return from Tommy John surgery when a nerve problem in his left triceps surfaced late in the Grapefruit League schedule resulting in a second straight lost season. Pepiot, coming off his first full season as a starter and his first with Tampa Bay, got the nod and had a strong outing (6 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO) in a no-decision against Colorado. Pepiot went 11-12 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.
2024: Zach Eflin
The Rays signed Eflin as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season and the righthander paid immediate dividends tying for American League lead in wins (16) with Toronto’s Chris Bassitt. That would be Eflin’s only full season with the club. He had a rough 2024 Opening Day against the Blue Jays – Bassitt started the second game for Toronto – allowing three homers and six runs in 5 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Eflin was 5-7, 4.09 when he was dealt to Baltimore at the trade deadline. He and Bassitt are now teammates with the Orioles.
2023: Shane McClanahan
Like Rasmussen, McClanahan was lost during the 2023 season due to an elbow injury, which led to the southpaw undergoing Tommy John surgery for a second time. He was 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA at the time he was shelved in August. On Opening Day, he blanked the Tigers on four hits in six innings and picked up the win.
2022: Shane McClanahan
McClanahan’s first Opening Day assignment was a couple of weeks before his 24th birthday. He was shutting out the Orioles through 4 1/3 when he was removed after 68 pitches in a game the Rays would win. The lefty started the all-star game for the American League and entered the break 10-3 with a 2.41 ERA. Injuries slowed him post-break and he finished 12-8, 2.54.
2021: Tyler Glasnow
The 6-foot-8 righthander started the season’s fourth game in 2019 and third game in 2020 before Cash handed him the ball to open at Miami in 2021. Glasnow was scintillating in allowing only one hit and fanning six in as many innings (no-decision) in a 1-0 Rays win. He would make only 13 more starts in an injury-riddled season in which he went 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA.
2020: Charlie Morton
The veteran righthander was a coming off a 2019 season in which he recorded a career-best 16 wins. It was his first year with the Rays after signing as a free agent. Morton made nine starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020, including the opener against the Blue Jays. He took the loss after allowing six earned runs in four innings. He went 2-2, 4.74 and signed with Atlanta that offseason.
2019: Blake Snell
Snell’s first Opening Day start followed a 21-win and Cy Young season. The lefty allowed five runs in six innings and took the loss against the Astros. It was a sign of things to come during a 6-8, 4.28 season that saw him miss two months due to an elbow injury. Snell pitched one more season with the Rays before he was dealt to San Diego.
2018: Chris Archer
This was the last in a string of four straight Opening Day starts for Archer with Tampa Bay. The righthander was dealt to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline in a deal that continues to indirectly pay dividends for the Rays. Archer, who was 3-5, 4.31 when he was traded, did not receive a decision (6 IP, 4 ER) in his team’s win in the season opener against Boston. Archer won only nine more games after he was traded, including one in a brief return to the Rays in 2021.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlayberger/2026/02/26/drew-rasmussen-will-be-the-rays-eighth-opening-day-starter-in-nine-years/
