1 Rays reliever that is off to a surprisingly awful start

It took awhile for the Dominican-born relief pitcher to break out at the major league level, but when he finally did last season, the entire baseball world took notice. Edwin Uceta put together one of the best stretches of relief pitching in recent years. However, his start to the 2025 season has been nothing short of a disappointment. We're hopeful that the 27-year old can return to his 2024 form, but he'll definitely need to make some adjustments.

Before the 2024 season, Uceta had only appeared in 40 MLB innings for the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Mets. The right-handed hurler could never find his footing as he produced a collective 5.85 ERA from 2021-2023. When the Rays signed Uceta in December of 2023, they must've seen something in the young reliever worth building on. He had been released by the Cubs' Triple-A club at the end of their season.

Nonetheless, the Rays pitching factory worked their magic once again. After only 34 innings with Triple-A Durham, Tampa Bay called up Uceta and placed him in some high-leverage situations. The changeup specialist responded wonderfully, giving up only seven earned runs across 41.2 innings. That performance amounts to an astounding 1.51 ERA.

Everyone recognized this Rays reliever by the end of the season, which takes a lot for someone that plays for this organization. Even some of the best franchise Rays players fly under the radar. Nonetheless, he earned top 10 reliever honors through MLB Network. Edwin Uceta was named the #6 reliever in the sport after the 2024 season, but fortunes have taken a turn.

In 5.2 innings so far this season, Uceta has managed a 7.94 ERA. He's given up five runs on six hits including two home runs. The righty has actually matched his 2024 home run totals already and nearly reached his earned runs given up a season ago. On top of all of these down turn numbers, he's also only accrued three strikeouts. That adds up to a miserable 4.8 strikeouts per nine innings which is way lower than his 2024 stat of 12.3 strikeouts per nine.

Needless to say, we can conclude that Edwin Uceta has not been himself lately and he should try to figure out how to return to form because there are plenty of high-quality arms waiting their turn in Durham.