The Rays pitching is in shambles, both in the rotation (where Dietrich Enns is now starting after IL trips for Shane McClanahan and Chris Archer), and in the bullpen (5.04 ERA, 5.34 FIP, 4.41 xFIP in September), although that has been overshadowed in the baseball world by the collapse of both the Yankees and Red Sox this September.
Thankfully, Tampa Bay’s 100-win pace and comfortable lead in the American League East creates a buffer for the team to sort things out before the playoffs, and that includes re-introducing Nick Anderson to the fold.
Once one of baseball’s best relievers, Nick Anderson infamously was a shell of his normal self for the Rays during last year’s World Series, with news coming after the playoffs that he was pitching through mental and physical fatigue.