The Rays’ depth at the left-handed reliever position has been a minefield of injuries, and chief among them was invisible-fastball guy Colin Poche, who suffered a UCL tear back in 2020. He underwent Tommy John surgery in the same year, and he has been recovering since then.
Typically, a rookie salary reliever with a long road to recovery does not last three years on the 40-man roster, but the Rays have been patiently waiting for Poche’s opportunity to return, and if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks he should soon be ready to make his first appearance on the mound since October of 2019.