52 Chaz Roe RP

Roe is considered one of the relievers that's a "lock" to make the Opening Day roster, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Roe helped lock in some job security with an excellent spring, as he fired five scoreless, two-hit innings and generated an 11:1 K:BB across five Grapefruit League appearances before spring training was suspended. The hard-throwing right-hander will play 2020 on a one-year, $2.2 million contract and should be set for a heavy workload akin to the 66 appearances he's averaged over his first pair of Rays campaigns.

Roe agreed to a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Rays on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Roe and the Rays will avoid arbitration after coming to terms on a one-year deal. He posted a 4.06 ERA and 1.57 WHIP with a 65:31 K:BB over 51 innings a season ago, and he figures to see plenty of mid-to-high-leverage opportunities out of Tampa Bay's bullpen during the 2020 campaign.

Roe gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning while striking out one to record his first save of the season in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Red Sox.

Emilio Pagan grabbed a four-out save the night before, and Diego Castillo pitched earlier in Wednesday's game, so the door was open for Roe to collect the second save of his career. With Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards joining the Rays bullpen at the trade deadline, however, the 32-year-old Roe could be pushed even further away from high-leverage work.

The Rays activated Roe (elbow) from the 10-day injured list Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Tampa Bay greenlit Roe's return from the IL after he completed a successful 19-pitch bullpen session Friday. Roe missed the minimum amount of time with the right flexor strain, allowing him to rejoin the big-league roster without requiring a minor-league rehab assignment beforehand. After a banner 2018 campaign as one of the Rays' top setup options, Roe has fallen on hard times thus far in 2019, posting a 5.27 ERA and 1.76 WHIP across 27.1 innings.

Roe (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday and appears close to a return, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Roe has been sidelined since July 11, so he won't be returning in the minimum time. However, it appears he'll come close, with Friday's 19-pitch bullpen session apparently going well. If he continues free of setbacks, the right-hander could potentially be ready to return at some point during the next week.

Roe was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain Thursday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Roe might have been battling the injury late in the first half, as he allowed four runs in 2.2 innings over his last three appearances. That brought his season ERA up to 5.27 and his WHIP up to 1.76. It's not yet clear how much time he's expected to miss.

Roe, who earned his 10th hold by retiring the only batter he faced in a win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, has not given up a run in 10 May appearances.

Those outings only span a modest seven innings, but they still represent a welcome resurgence for Roe after he generated an 0-2 record and 5.14 ERA during April while also blowing a pair of saves. The veteran has collected four of his 10 holds on the season during the current month.

Roe, who allowed a hit over a scoreless ninth inning in Tuesday's win over the Marlins, now has a 2.77 ERA and seven holds across 18 appearances this season.

The veteran reliever's ERA is almost a full run less than his career 3.72 figure, although he's also exhibiting some atypical control problems. Roe had generated a WHIP of 1.21 or less in each of the last three seasons, but he's currently sporting an elevated 1.85 figure in that category across 13.0 frames thus far in 2019. The 32-year-old has five straight scoreless appearances to open May and should continue to see plenty of middle-to-later-inning work as the season unfolds.

Roe, who allowed a hit and a walk over a scoreless inning in a loss to the Giants on Saturday, has a 2.25 ERA over his first five appearances of 2019.

The veteran reliever has only had one true hiccup, allowing what would be a game-winning solo home run to the Rockies' Chris Iannetta last Wednesday in a 1-0 loss. Otherwise, Roe has posted four scoreless outings while serving as a versatile component of the relief corps. The 32-year-old logged 61 appearances in his first full Rays season in 2018, so he's proven capable of handling a heavy workload when necessary.

Roe fired 16 pitches and recorded two strikeouts in a simulated game at the Rays' spring complex in Port Charlotte on Tuesday, Ralph Long of MLB.com reports.

The veteran reliever made his spring debut last Saturday versus the Orioles and was touched up for three earned runs on a hit and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. Roe's performance Tuesday was certainly encouraging, but it's possible the 32-year-old still encounters some additional hiccups in game action after being sidelined since mid-February with a back injury.

Roe (back) is listed as one of the Rays' available pitchers for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Roe is expected to be the first pitcher used out of the bullpen once starter Andrew Kittredge exits the contest. The right-hander has yet to debut this spring after tweaking his back early in camp, but he'll probably only need a couple appearances after Saturday to clear up any concern about his availability for Opening Day.

Roe (back) played catch Friday and will soon resume a normal throwing program, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Roe was held back at the start of camp after tweaking his back, but manager Kevin Cash says there is "no concern whatsoever" about the issue. Barring setbacks, expect Roe to fill an important bullpen role for the Rays to start the season.

Roe is currently being held back from the rest of the pitchers in camp due to a back injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though back issues can be problematic at times, this issue is being considered just a "tweak." As such, the Rays don't expect Roe to miss more than a couple days. As long as this injury doesn't linger, the 32-year-old figures to be a big part of Tampa Bay's bullpen this season after finishing 2018 with a 3.58 ERA and 31 holds.

Roe and the Rays avoided arbitration with a one-year, $1.275 contract Friday, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

Roe threw 50.1 innings for the Rays last season, finishing with a 3.58 ERA, 31 holds and his first career save. His 26.1 percent strikeout rate, 7.9 percent walk rate and 47.6 percent groundball rate were all better than league average, but none by more than a small amount, so he fits well in a setup role but would be an unlikely candidate to push for a closer job.

Roe (knee) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Tuesday.

Roe had been out for over a month after tearing his meniscus. Prior to the injury, he had posted a solid 3.60 ERA in 35 innings, striking out 27 percent of batters faced. He'll fill a fairly-high-leverage role in the Rays' bullpen but is unlikely to see many save opportunities.

Roe (knee) is expected to be activated from the disabled list ahead of Tuesday's game with the Yankees.

The move won't be official until Tuesday, but Jaime Schultz has already been sent down to make room on the active roster for him. Roe figures to jump right back into a more prominent role in the Tampa Bay bullpen given his 3.60 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 20 holds on the season.

Roe (knee) struck out the side in a perfect sixth inning during High-A Charlotte's extra-inning win over Dunedin on Thursday.

It was about as good a first rehab outing as Roe could have hoped for, as he predictably mowed through the lower level of competition in his sole frame. The veteran threw 18 pitches overall. Given the length of time he's been sidelined, Roe is likely to take the hill for both the Stone Crabs and Triple-A Durham at some point before activation.

Roe (knee) threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session Monday in Port Charlotte and could be heading out on a rehab assignment as early as Thursday, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash continues to be very pleased with Roe's recent progress, which also includes a successful bullpen session last Tuesday. The Rays have been keeping a close eye on Roe's mechanics as he rehabs, ensuring that he isn't altering his motion in any way as he recovers from a July 13 arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus. Given that he's been sidelined a relatively short time, Roe may only need a couple of rehab appearances before being deemed ready for activation.

Roe (knee) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "All felt good. Being a knee issue, that's the biggest concern, his knee felt well," said manager Kevin Cash. "His arm felt good all year. So make sure we're smart with the arm. ... We don't want anything with the knee affecting his mechanics."

The veteran reliever underwent arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee on July 13, so the fact he was able to get back on a mound less than three weeks removed from the procedure is encouraging. Although he appears to be making good progress, the Rays aren't projecting Roe's return until September for the time being, and he'll likely need a multi-appearance rehab assignment before activation.

Roe underwent arthroscopic surgery on his torn left meniscus Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Roe is expected to return by September. The 31-year-old had posted a solid 3.60 ERA and a 27 percent strikeout rate prior to the injury. He should resume a fairly high-leverage role in the Rays' bullpen once he proves that he's healthy and effective.