The Yankees’ adversary for his weekend series — and their biggest threat over the last year or so in the AL East — are the Tampa Bay Rays. The denizens of Tropicana Field remain one of the most savvy, if not the savviest, organizations in all of baseball.
The Rays have managed to remain competitive for the better part of the last 15 years with two distinct runs: one with four playoff appearances from 2008-13, and another one that’s ongoing and began in 2019. The Rays have made the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns and are at least in contention for a fourth straight postseason trip.