Rays Place Garrett Cleavinger On 15-Day IL, Select Ty Johnson, Designate Oliver Dunn

The Rays announced three roster moves, including the news that left-hander Garrett Cleavinger has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to left forearm tightness. Right-hander Ty Johnson’s contract was selected from Triple-A Durham to fill Cleavinger’s spot on the active roster, and infielder Oliver Dunn was designated for assignment to create space for Johnson on the 40-man roster. Cleavinger just pitched in yesterday’s 7-6 Rays win over the Rangers, though the southpaw didn’t retire any of three batters faced. An Elias Diaz grand slam was the lowlight of Cleavinger’s tough outing, which also saw the reliever allow a walk and a single while being charged with two runs. These struggles could certainly be explained if Cleavinger was trying to pitch through some kind of forearm issue, but this IL placement now creates some doubt as to Cleavinger’s availability for the rest of the 2026 season. Ideally, the discomfort fades quickly and Cleavinger is able to make it back before the end of the regular season. Given that forearm tightness can be a precursor to a UCL-related injury, however, the Rays are sure to be cautious with the left-hander’s recovery. This may make Cleavinger a question mark for a playoff roster, should his recovery period linger into October. Cleavinger’s 4.79 ERA is inflated both by Friday’s rough performance and some unlucky secondary metrics, like a .320 BABIP. His 3.42 SIERA isn’t far beyond the 3.20 SIERA Cleavinger posted for the Rays in 2023-25, but in comparison to his superb 2025 campaign, Cleavinger’s numbers have gone in the wrong direction — particularly a 12.2% walk rate that is well above his career-best 7.4BB% from last year. Always a bit of a reverse-splits type of pitcher over his career, Cleavinger has had an unusual amount of trouble against same-sided batters this year, as left-handed hitters have an .832 OPS against him (while he has held right-handed hitters to a .699 OPS). The AL East-leading Rays have now lost three pitchers to the IL in the last two days, as Shane McClanahan (forearm tightness) and Manuel Rodriguez (lower back strain) were just placed on the 15-day IL on Friday. On the plus side, Cole Sulser was activated from the IL yesterday and Griffin Jax returned earlier this week. This is certainly still more flux than the Rays would want with their pitching staff as the postseason approaches, especially since Tampa is still trying to hold off the Yankees for both the division title and the top seed in the AL playoff bracket. Dunn was acquired in a May trade with the White Sox, and the infielder appeared in nine games for Tampa Bay before being optioned to Triple-A on June 8. Dunn had one hit in his 12 PA with the Rays, and he has batted .197/.253/.275 over 157 plate appearances with the Brewers and Rays since his MLB debut in 2024. Clubs interested in utility infield help could consider Dunn as a late-season waiver claim, though even as minor league depth, Dunn’s Triple-A numbers declined considerably in Durham after a hot start with Chicago’s top affiliate. Dunn has previously been outrighted in his career, so if he clears waivers, he has the ability to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment off Tampa’s 40-man roster. Dunn could go this route if he wants to get an early jump on minor league free agency, or he might prefer to remain in Durham. Johnson will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game. Since the Rays are in Arlington this weekend, the Rockwall, Texas native figures to have lots of family and friends in attendance if and when he takes the mound against the Rangers. The right-hander turns 25 later this month, and he was a 15th-round pick for the Cubs in the 2023 draft who was dealt to Tampa as part of the three-player package for Isaac Paredes at the 2024 trade deadline. While starting most of his career games in the minors, Johnson was moved into relief duty in July and has held opponents scoreless in eight of his 11 bullpen outings. In his first season of Triple-A experience, Johnson has a 3.03 ERA, 10.2% walk rate, and 34.3% strikeout rate, though a .228 BABIP has aided his endeavors. Baseball Prospectus included Johnson near the end of its top-100 rankings in each of the last two seasons. MLB Pipeline currently ranks Johnson as the 10th-best prospect in Tampa Bay’s farm system, with Baseball America slotting him 15th amongst Rays minor leaguers. Of course, the Rays’ perpetually strong farm system means that comparatively speaking, Johnson would be a more highly-ranked (and probably better-known) prospect if he was pitching for just about any other organization. Despite Johnson’s success as a starter, Pipeline and BA feel he is probably best suited as a high-leverage reliever in the majors since Johnson relies almost exclusively on two pitches — a plus slider and a mid-90’s fastball that is able to hitters since Johnson has a low release point. Given Johnson’s usage in the last six weeks, it would seem like the Rays are also eager to see what Johnson can offer their big league bullpen down the stretch, and maybe as a secret weapon for October.