49 Brendan McKay SP

The Rays optioned McKay to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

McKay was one of seven players optioned from big-league camp Thursday as the Rays reduced their contingent to 28 men, leaving the team with two cuts to make before Opening Day. The 24-year-old lefty remains one of the organization's top pitching prospects, but an uneven MLB debut season in 2019 along with a poor spring prevented him from beating out Yonny Chirinos for the fifth starter's role. McKay should get another trial in the Tampa Bay rotation at some point later in 2020.

McKay started a Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies on Thursday and allowed four earned runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman over 1.1 innings. He struck out two.

The talented southpaw endured a rough go of it, with the majority of his problems coming in the second inning. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports there were signs things were amiss during a scoreless first, however, when McKay struggled with his control. He then allowed four consecutive hits with one out in the second, including a pair of solo home runs to No. 8 and 9 hitters Josh Harrison and Roman Quinn. Despite the unsightly final line, McKay attempted to focus on the positives. "Body and arm felt good," McKay said. "The results you're obviously frustrated with, (but) a bunch of guys said don't really hang yourself on results. It's all about how your body feels and how you're progressing."

McKay will make his first Grapefruit League start against the Phillies on Thursday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

McKay was slowed by shoulder soreness early in spring, but he was able to make his first Grapefruit League appearance out of the bullpen Friday versus the Twins. The left-hander is vying to secure a back-end rotation spot, and he should get at least three starts to make his case prior to the end of spring training.

McKay (shoulder) fired a scoreless fourth inning in his spring debut in a loss to the Twins on Friday. He struck out one.

McKay made his long-awaited debut with success, even ringing up Josh Donaldson for his one punchout. Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports McKay hit 94 mph on the called third strike and reported feeling good overall after the appearance, one in which he threw 10 of 16 pitches for strikes and utilized the changeup he's been working on this spring.

McKay (shoulder) felt good following his bullpen session Tuesday and will pitch Friday against the Twins, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

McKay is ready to move forward with his spring debut after being initially delayed by shoulder stiffness. Whether or not he still has time to be fully built up as a starter by Opening Day remains to be seen, but the Rays are creative enough that they could use him in other ways for the first week or two of the season if necessary.

McKay's spring debut won't be set until after the Rays see how his sore left shoulder responds to Tuesday's bullpen session, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Reports from earlier in the day held that McKay would debut Friday, but those were evidently slightly premature. The young lefty came to camp complaining of shoulder stiffness, though the issue doesn't appear to be too serious. Still, time is getting tight for him to be built up to a starting workload by Opening Day. Given the Rays' famous creativity with their pitching staff, it wouldn't be surprising if McKay worked as a bulk reliever for his first outings if he's able to pitch but not fully ready to start.

McKay (shoulder) is slated to make his spring debut on the mound in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

After McKay's left shoulder responded well to facing hitters in a live batting practice session over the weekend, he'll get the green light to resume pitching in a non-controlled setting. The time McKay has already missed could make it a challenge for him to get his arm fully conditioned for Opening Day, but he would likely be in store for only a brief stint on the injured list if the Rays determine he's not ready for the start of the season.

Manager Kevin Cash said Monday that McKay (shoulder) could return to game action this week after his live batting practice went well Saturday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

McKay has been dealing with shoulder stiffness for most of spring training, but he's been able to ease back into throwing activities and could be on track to make his 2020 debut in the Grapefruit League in the near future. The southpaw is reportedly "champing at the bit" to return to game action, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Rays use some caution in order to prevent a more serious injury.

McKay (shoulder) threw approximately 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

McKay has been working through shoulder stiffness, but he was able to get in his first batting practice session of spring as planned Saturday. The southpaw threw to Michael Brosseau and Miles Mastrobuoni during the session, and McKay was very satisfied with both how his arm felt and the progress he made with his changeup, which he's been focusing on refining. "I threw a lot of really good changeups, which I'm kind of happy about," McKay said. "I've been on the search for that over the last couple of years. I've had glimpses of it, but to throw it that consistently to righties and some lefties, it's only building that confidence that you can throw it whenever you need to and it can be a dominant pitch."

McKay (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Saturday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

McKay has been limited during spring training as he deals with shoulder stiffness, but he was able to throw a bullpen last Sunday and will throw a live bullpen session Saturday. The issue doesn't appear to be too severe, and he's likely on track to progress to game action if his recovery continues to go smoothly.

McKay (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

McKay was kept from throwing last week after experiencing left shoulder stiffness, but his quick return to mound work is an encouraging sign it's a minor concern. Assuming he avoids a setback, the left-hander should advance to live batting practice this week before progressing to game action.

McKay (shoulder) reported feeling "really good" Saturday after throwing from 120 feet Friday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

McKay has been limited with shoulder stiffness recently, which led to the promising pitcher being shut down from throwing both Tuesday and Wednesday last week. However, given how well Friday's session went, McKay could throw a bullpen session Sunday and then proceed to his first live batting practice at some point in the coming week.

McKay hasn't thrown a live batting practice session yet as he's battling shoulder stiffness, though the issue isn't considered serious, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Any arm-related issue for a pitcher is at least moderately worrisome, though this particular one doesn't appear to be a big deal. While McKay hasn't thrown batting practice, he threw from 120 feet Friday. The fact that he hasn't been shut down would seem to indicate that he'll have a good shot to remain on track to make the Opening Day roster.

McKay will pitch on a standard five-day schedule this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Most of McKay's outings in his rookie season came with at least one extra day of rest. His 5.14 ERA in 49 big-league innings didn't exactly impress, but both his 25.9 percent strikeout rate and 7.4 percent walk rate were strong. Manager Kevin Cash also noted Friday that while McKay, a two-way player in college, would continue to work on his hitting, his priority this spring would be getting ready to pitch.

McKay is expected to pitch out of the bullpen Tuesday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McKay was originally scheduled to start, but the Rays opted to give Yonny Chirinos the ball instead. Seeing as Chirinos will be on a limited pitch count, McKay will be the one most likely to fact into a decision. In 46.2 big-league innings this season, the rookie left-hander owns a 5.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 53:15 K:BB.

McKay is no longer scheduled to start Tuesday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There's a chance McKay still serves as the primary pitcher Tuesday, as Yonny Chirinos -- who is slated to get the ball in place of the rookie -- will be on a pitch count in what will be his second appearance back from injury. In three starts since rejoining the rotation, McKay has posted a 4.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB in 11 innings.

McKay entered Sunday's loss to the Red Sox as a pinch hitter and hit a solo home run in his only at-bat.

The two-way asset unloaded a 420-foot shot to right with one out in the final frame, but that still ultimately left the Rays three runs short. McKay is next slated to take the hill Tuesday night against the Yankees, when he'll look to improve on a 2-4 record, 5.40 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 11 starts. The southpaw's hitting opportunities have been kept at a premium since his development as a pitcher is a top priority, with McKay having logged just 10 plate appearances thus far (.222 average).

McKay gave up three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three through four innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

McKay allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in the second frame, but he limited the Dodgers to one other baserunner in his four innings of work. The 23-year-old has a 2-4 record and a 5.40 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP this season. McKay is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday against the Yankees at Tropicana Field.

McKay (2-4) took the loss against the Rangers on Thursday, giving up three earned runs on six hits over 3.1 innings, striking out two and walking two as the Rays eventually fell 6-4.

After locking down the Blue Jays in an abbreviated 3.2-inning start his last time out, McKay couldn't carry it over to this contest and wound up taking his fourth loss of the year. The 23-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but his overall numbers remain lackluster, with a 5.27 ERA and 1.45 WHIP to his name across 42.2 innings.

McKay is scheduled to make his next start Thursday against the Rangers in Texas.

As anticipated, McKay will receive a second turn through the rotation after shining in his return to the big leagues versus Toronto over the past weekend. Though he was pulled before reaching the 60-pitch mark, McKay made the most of his time on the mound, spinning 3.2 shutout innings while striking out seven and issuing no walks. The Rays are expected to manage McKay's workload carefully again Thursday, which may hurt his chances of factoring into the decision.