Prior to today’s game, the Rays announced that right-hander Griffin Jax has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 6) due to discomfort in his throwing elbow.  Right-hander Michael Grove was called up from Triple-A to take Jax’s spot on the active roster.

Jax was supposed to start yesterday but was scratched after he “woke up…not feeling great as a whole,” as he told MLB.com’s Luke Olson and other reporters on Saturday.  “But getting checked out with the team, and you know, I think we ruled out the worst-case-possible scenario.”  Manager Kevin Cash echoed those sentiments today, telling Olson and company that the elbow issue appears to be “non-ligament-related,” according to initial tests.  Jax is slated to visit another doctor in the next day or two for a further consult.

This is the first time Jax has landed on the Major League injured list during his six seasons with the Twins and Rays, though the 2026 season has seen the righty toss a career-high 91 2/3 innings due to his new role as a starter.  After beginning the year as a reliever, Jax was gradually stretched out in May and has basically been working as a regular starter for the last two months, though he has yet to pitch beyond six innings.

The role change has been a success, with Jax posting a 3.16 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate, and 6.9% walk rate over his 18 starts (82 2/3 innings).  There has been some question about how Jax’s innings might be managed over a full season or if Tampa Bay might move him back to the bullpen for the postseason, though this IL stint might prove to be a natural answer to those questions, assuming the injury isn’t anything serious.

With Shane McLanahan also on the Rays’ IL due to back tightness, Tampa now finds itself down two rotation members.  The Rays could turn to bullpen games until at least one of Jax or McLanahan returns, with Steven Matz or Casey Legumina the likeliest candidates for bulk pitcher duty.  Grove has worked as a starter in the past but might be more of a multi-inning reliever at this point in his career.