34 Trevor Richards RP

The Rays optioned Richards to their taxi squad Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll be replaced on the active roster by Josh Fleming, as the Rays evidently wanted another southpaw available out of the bullpen to counter the Astros' left-handed hitters in the ALCS, which begins Sunday. Richards didn't make an appearance during the Rays' recent five-game ALDS matchup with the Yankees.

Richards will be on the Rays' roster for the remainder of the NL Division Series against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards replaces Oliver Drake, who landed on the injured list with a flexor strain. He'll presumably fill a lower-leverage role given that he wasn't originally on the roster and struggled to a 5.91 ERA in 32 innings during the regular season.

The Rays optioned Richards to their alternate training site Friday.

Tampa Bay needed to reduce its active roster to 28 men ahead of the weekend, so Richards was sent packing after he served as the 29th man during Thursday's doubleheader with the Orioles. He started the second game of the twin bill, taking a no-decision while working 3.1 innings and giving up four runs on five hits and two walks.

Richards took a no-decision during Thursday's win over the Orioles, allowing four runs on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out four across 3.1 innings.

Richards, who was recalled from the team's alternate training site ahead of Thursday's start, struggled in the second half of Thursday's twin bill. After giving up a pair of home runs and an RBI double, the 27-year-old was lifted after 3.1 innings. The short performance was typical for Richards, who has failed to complete five innings in any of his nine appearances. Overall this season, the right-hander holds a 5.91 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across 32 innings.

Richards is starting Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards was recalled from the team's alternate training site earlier in the day, and as expected, the right-hander will toe the rubber for Game 2. He's appeared in eight games this season and owns a 5.34 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with 23 punchouts over 28.2 innings.

Richards was recalled from the alternate training site for Thursday's doubleheader against the Orioles and is likely to start or serve as the primary pitcher in Game 2, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The team won't make any plans official until the completion of the matinee, but as of now Richards is expected to see the bulk of the innings during Game 2. The 27-year-old has a 5.34 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB through 28.2 innings this season.

Richards is a strong candidate to be the 29th man and potentially start Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He is with the big-league team Wednesday and thus is a safe bet to be called up as the 29th man Thursday. The Rays are listing the Game 2 starter as TBD, so it could be Richards or he could follow an opener. He has a 5.34 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 28.2 innings this year and has not logged more than 4.2 innings in any of his eight outings.

Richards was optioned to the Rays' alternate site Monday to make room on the active roster for Ryan Yarbrough (groin), Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Yarbrough will be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game in Washington, replacing Richards in the rotation. Though Richards will lose out on his roster and rotation spot, he could rejoin the Rays in a starting role as soon as Sept. 17, when he would likely pitch one half of a doubleheader with the Orioles.

Richards didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees, allowing two runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

A pair of solo shots by DJ LeMahieu accounted for all the damage off the right-hander. It was Richards' longest outing of the season so far, as he threw 64 pitches (46 strikes) before giving way to the bullpen. He now has a 4.05 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB through 13.1 innings in his three starts. He'll look to last long enough to qualify for his first win of the year in his next trip to the mound Monday, on the road against the Nationals.

Richards will start Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Although Richards was not announced as the starter for Tuesday's game until after Monday's win, he appeared to be the likely choice for some time. RIchards hasn't pitched over 4.1 innings in an outing this year due to a lack of being stretched out, but an efficient outing could certainly get him through five frames.

Richards allowed two runs (none earned) on six hits and two walks while striking three across 4.1 innings Wednesday against the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.

Richards allowed both of the runs in the opening inning, but limited the damage thereafter. He was regularly working out of trouble -- he allowed multiple baserunners in four of the five innings he pitched -- but kept the Rays in the game. Richards worked up to 86 pitches, a positive factor for his chances to work long enough in upcoming starts to earn a win. He currently lines up to make his next appearance working behind an opener Monday at the Yankees.

Richards will start Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Richards last covered three frames in long relief last Thursday, and he'll make his second start of the season Wednesday against Baltimore. Richards has a 5.94 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB through 16.2 innings this season.

Richards came on in relief of opener John Curtiss in the second inning of Thursday's win over the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on four hits over three innings while recording two strikeouts.

Richards was able to give manager Kevin Cash some valuable innings in the bullpen day, and the only run he allowed came via an RBI groundout by Gleyber Torres. The right-hander was also dinged with one run on Gio Urshela's two-run home run off Diego Castillo, making it five times in as many appearances that Richards has been charged with multiple runs this season. Despite his elevated 5.94 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 16.2 innings, Richards is still a valuable asset due to his ability to cover multiple innings as either a spot starter or long reliever.

Richards should play a prominent role in Thursday's game against the Yankees, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Manager Kevin Cash hasn't yet confirmed a starter for Thursday's series finale against the Yankees, but he said that Richards will play a significant role in the contest. The right-hander has mainly struggled in his first four appearances this season, posting a 5.93 ERA and 1.78 ERA over 13.2 innings.

Richards allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.1 innings in Friday's loss to the Blue Jays. He didn't factor into the decision.

Richards had served in long relief to begin the season but made a spot start against the Blue Jays on Friday. However, he struggled to limit their production at hitter-friendly Sahlen Field. The Rays did some hitting of their own early in the game, however, allowing him to escape with a no-decision. If the right-hander remains in the rotation, his next start should come on the road Thursday against the Yankees.

Richards will start Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Richards being named as Friday's starter does not come as a surprise as the right-hander logged four innings while allowing two unearned runs in relief of Charlie Morton (shoulder) in Sunday's win over the Yankees. Richards started 23 games last season between Miami and Tampa Bay.

Richards is a candidate for spot starts while Yonny Chirinos (triceps) and Charlie Morton (shoulder) are on the injured list, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Richards already stepped in for Morton on Sunday after the latter was forced from the game with the shoulder issue that would ultimately land him on the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander logged 23 starts last season with the Marlins and Rays, which was preceded by a 25-start rookie 2018 campaign in Miami. Therefore, there's no doubt Richards' arm could be built up to handle a five- or six-inning workload, but with manager Kevin Cash also having versatile multi-inning options such as Jalen Beeks and Anthony Banda (taxi squad) on hand, he could simply opt to deploy any two out of that trio to handle the bulk of innings in a given game.

Richards covered four innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Yankees, giving up two runs (zero earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four.

Richards entered the contest in the top of the third inning with no outs and a runner on first base after starter Charlie Morton departed early with right shoulder inflammation. Though he didn't factor into the decision, Richards' quality work helped keep the Rays competitive before the Tampa Bay bats finally woke up over the final three innings. Morton tentatively lines up to make his next start Saturday in Toronto, but if he's unable to move past the injury, Richards would likely be a top candidate to step in for a spot start.

Richards will fill a bullpen role during the Rays' weekend series against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards was recalled in place of Yonny Chirinos (triceps) on Thursday, but he evidently won't be filling Chirinos' rotation spot. The team's expected starters for Saturday's doubleheader are not yet known. Richards hasn't exactly earned a rotation spot given his performances to date, as he's allowed six runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings across a pair of relief appearances.

Richards was recalled from the Rays' alternate camp site Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

An injury to Yonny Chirinos (triceps) opened the door for Richards to rejoin the Rays following a brief stint at the team's satellite camp. The righty has struggled across of a pair of appearances this season, allowing six runs in 5.1 innings, though he could be called upon to pitch a handful of innings this weekend in place of Chirinos.