Rays' Pepiot Out for Season, Rotation Scramble

0:00On May 1st, the Tepebe Rays are off to a scorching star in the 2026 MLB season, sitting at 18 wins and 12 losses. That puts them just 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East, after sweeping them earlier. They boast the second most wins in the AL, trailing only a handful of national league powerhouses like the Dodgers and Padres across all of baseball. But here's a massive curveball, key starter. Ryan Pepeot is done for the year with the hip injury. Manager Kevin Cash dropped the news to reporters right before their three-game series against the San Francisco Giants. Pepeot had locked down a solid middle rotation spot, flashing number two starter potential. Last season alone, he posted a 3.86 ERA over 31 starts and 167.2 innings with 100. 67 strikeouts. In two years with the Rays, he racked up 4.2 wins above replacement. The injury saga started with hip inflammation during spring training, landing him on the

1:02injured list to open the year. He was tossing bullpins by early April, eyeing a quick return, but is said back around April 14th bumped him to the 60-day IL. Now it's surgery on May 13th, with Dr. Thomas Bird in Nashville. Cash expects Pepeot back for spring training in 2027, but this leaves a gaping hole in the rotation. The Rays will need to scramble on the pitching front if they want to keep chasing those playoffs. That's your update from MLB News Today, powered by AI.