Englert gets the chance he wanted, slides into Rays starting mix

The Tampa Bay Rays moved Mason Englert from being a bullpen option into being a starting-staff option, and the path to that decision started with an assignment back to Triple-A Durham. After pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings at Fenway Park on May 8, Englert was optioned to the minors, where Tampa Bay set a specific development goal: build him up to start again.

Englert answered that call in Durham last month. He made three starts, working 4 2/3 innings in each of his first two, then lengthened his outing on May 26. That date stood out in the Rays’ plan because Englert stretched out to six innings and threw 84 pitches, a workload closer to what the club typically asks of starters before a lineup sees them for the second and third time.

The Rays then brought him back to the majors on Wednesday, using him for exactly the type of innings they were trying to develop. Englert logged five innings in relief against his former Detroit Tigers teammates, holding Detroit to one run on four hits while striking out three and throwing 82 pitches. In Tampa Bay’s framework, that performance acted like a proof of concept, showing he could handle length without needing to be limited to short relief stints.

Now Englert is being asked to take the next step. With Steven Matz temporarily moving out of the rotation and into the bullpen, the Rays are sliding Englert into a bulk-innings role on their starting staff. The plan is fluid by design, Tampa Bay expects Englert to pitch in some combination of starting or working after an opener, and the timing matters because the Rays open a three-game set against the Red Sox on Monday night at Tropicana Field.

Englert also sees this as more than a one-week stretch. “My goal has always been to eventually be a starter,” he said Sunday at loanDepot park, framing the opportunity as the direction he has wanted for years. The Rays, for their part, are leaning on what bulk roles demand: repeated at-bats, decision-making between pitches, and a willingness to turn over multiple innings’ worth of matchups with more variety than traditional relief.

One of the key details in Tampa Bay’s confidence is Englert’s pitch mix and how it can be used across longer, multi-turn appearances. Statcast tracked seven pitch types in his most recent outing: changeup, curveball, sinker, four-seamer, cutter, slider, and a slow curve around 68-70 mph. When he has been used in shorter relief, Englert said he often trims that mix, removing either the cutter or slider and throwing one curveball. But facing hitters multiple times requires more unpredictability, and the Rays want him comfortable opening up the repertoire.

What to watch next is how the Rays manage the transition from bulk reliever to starter-style work. In the Red Sox series, the immediate test is simple: can Englert hold his command and keep hitters off-balance as the order turns over, and can Tampa Bay sustain a length advantage without overextending the rest of the bullpen? Even with a defined plan, Tampa Bay’s rotation mechanics remain adjustable, and Englert’s workload will likely track how quickly he builds trust with the innings the club needs.