3 Rays pitchers who have improved their stock during World Baseball Classic

As we mentioned in a previous article, the Rays sluggers in the WBC have shown incredible displays of hitting. Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero on their own are giving Rays fans some hope for the 2026 season. However, we need to give some love to the pitchers and they've definitely deserved it, especially considering the Rays WBC participants on the 40-man roster have yet to give up a run.

Yoendrys Gomez

The Rays acquired Yoendrys Gomez in a trade with the White Sox this past November. The deal also included reliever Steven Wilson who will likely join the roster after he recovers from his back injury. Gomez was added to the roster immediately as a depth rotation option. He probably won’t make this loaded staff out of camp pending any unforeseen injuries, but the 26-year-old hurler has done his part to show Kevin Cash and company his value.

In four spring training games, the righty has produced a 1.80 ERA with four strikeouts. However, his most impressive outing came on a much bigger stage. As a member of Team Venezuela, Gomez started against Team Nicaragua. He tossed two scoreless frames, punching out three opposing hitters in the process. This performance shouldn’t be taken lightly as 2025 Cy Young runner-up Cristopher Sanchez struggled against the scrappy Nicaragua club.

Griffin Jax

Griffin Jax was shipped to the Rays in a deal that involved former top prospect Taj Bradley. Bradley was struggling mightily with the Rays and showing a ton of inconsistencies in 2025 which led to the surprising trade. Jax was a great fit for the Rays bullpen and has displayed impressive numbers since his arrival. In 20 innings of work, the Phoenix native has produced a 3.60 ERA while striking out 27 hitters.

Jax was honored to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic as his family has a military background in the Air Force. He has yet to disappoint in 1.2 innings of work so far. The 31-year-old reliever has given up zero runs while picking up two strikeouts against Great Britain and Mexico. It will be exciting to see how he fares in the playoff rounds.

Garrett Cleavinger

Cleavinger is also representing Team USA as a powerful left-handed presence out of the bullpen. Similarly to Griffin Jax, the 6'1 hurler has been dominant to this point. Although he's only tossed one frame, it was an important one as he backed up Paul Skenes' masterful performance with another zero on the scoreboard. His outing would prove to be essential as Team Mexico crawled back into the game late, but ran out of outs at the end as USA completed the 5-3 victory. The lefty flamethrower will likely get more opportunities in the playoff round as Team USA looks to return to the championship for the third straight World Baseball Classic.