The Tampa Bay Rays designated right-hander Jake Woodford for assignment on Friday, a one-day major league cameo that ended as quickly as it began, via the MLB transaction log.
Tampa Bay announced the move in a corresponding roster shuffle that reinstated right-hander Manuel Rodríguez from the 15-day injured list.
Rodríguez had been sidelined by a low back strain after just four appearances this season. The Rays, who sit first in the American League East at 96-63 and have already clinched the AL’s top seed and a first-round bye, are using the final days of the regular season to get healthy arms back before the AL Division Series.
Woodford’s stay on the active roster lasted barely 24 hours. The Rays selected his contract from Triple-A Durham on Thursday and optioned Mason Englert in a matching move.
That night against the New York Yankees, Woodford worked 1 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two. It was his only appearance in a Tampa Bay uniform.
The 29-year-old St. Petersburg native has been on the move all year. He opened 2026 with the Milwaukee Brewers after a spring trade from Tampa Bay, later pitched for the Chicago Cubs, and signed a minor league deal with the Rays on Aug. 10 after electing free agency.
Between Milwaukee and Chicago he posted a 7.18 ERA over 26 1/3 innings. At Durham he was more useful as organizational depth, making seven starts with a 4.25 ERA before the late-September call-up.
A former Cardinals prospect who debuted in 2020, Woodford has now pitched for seven big league clubs. Career numbers through Thursday: 11-17 with a 5.36 ERA and 193 strikeouts. The recent sample has been harder.
Since 2023, he has a 6.87 ERA in 145 1/3 innings, with a modest strikeout rate and a ground-ball profile that has not translated into consistent results.
Designation for assignment gives the Rays seven days to trade him, release him, or place him on outright waivers. Clubs often keep a veteran like Woodford as Triple-A insurance, but he has repeatedly elected free agency rather than accept a minor league assignment this season.
For Tampa Bay, the transaction is less about Woodford than about bullpen readiness. Rodríguez immediately returned to high-leverage work, picking up holds in his first two outings back.
With several pitchers still managing workloads or injuries, the Rays are prioritizing proven relievers over a long man who lasted one night. Woodford provided an extra arm after a bullpen-heavy loss to New York.
Once Rodríguez was available, that extra arm was expendable.
The Rays close the regular season against the Philadelphia Phillies. Woodford’s next stop is TBD.
