Jacob Faria returning to Tampa Bay Rays rotation

That trip to the minors did not last long. Jacob Faria is back with the Tampa Bay Rays, recalled to take Matt Andriese‘s place in the starting rotation.

Jacob Faria was quite impressive in his debut for the Tampa Bay Rays last week. He allowed just one run on three hits and two walks in 6.1 innings, striking out five. Aside from a few first inning jitters, Faria looked like he belonged, and was ready to be a part of the Rays rotation.

However, regardless of his performance, Faria was called up for that one start against the White Sox. With Matt Andriese returning from the disabled list, Faria was sent back to Durham, waiting for another opportunity. That chance has come, as Andriese will be heading back to the disabled list with a stress reaction in his hip, leading to Faria being recalled for a start tomorrow.

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Given that Andriese is likely to be sidelined for the next month and a half, this may well be Faria’s chance to stay in the Rays rotation. He has dominated in AAA, striking out 84 batters against 22 walks in 58.2 innings. In Durham, Faria allowed just 44 hits, overpowering the opposition with his deceptive delivery and solid fastball-changeup mix.

Already inserted back into the rotation, Faria has a tough task ahead of him with the Blue Jays tomorrow. Although they are a game under .500, Toronto has started to get healthy once again. Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki are back, and with the hot hitting Justin Smoak, the Blue Jays have a better lineup than one may think looking at the statistics.

Should Faria be able to shut down the Jays lineup, this could lead to his remaining in Tampa Bay. Even if his velocity and pure stuff do not indicate that he is a star in the making, it is hard to argue with the results. As long as Faria can command his pitches, he could be the start of the next wave of young arms coming up to Tampa Bay.

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Jacob Faria is back with the Tampa Bay Rays. If his upcoming start goes as well as his first outing, he might be up to stay.