Drew Rasmussen has spent the season giving Tampa Bay the same thing every fifth day: a prepared right-hander, a steady hand and, more often than not, a chance to win. On Saturday night at Tropicana Field, the Rays will hand him the ball for Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
| Season line | Starts | Innings | Record | ERA | WHIP | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 172 | 16-5 | 2.67 | 0.91 | 5.44 |
Rasmussen led the American League in WHIP and paced the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio while opening the year as Tampa Bay’s Opening Day starter. He also started the club’s postseason-clinching win on Sept. 11 and was on the mound again when the Rays locked up the division on Sept. 22.
Now comes a larger stage, with the ALDS opener scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV and HBO Max. Rasmussen has appeared in only three postseason games, with one previous playoff start, but this will be his first October assignment leading Tampa Bay’s rotation.
The Rays’ standard on the mound
Within the clubhouse, Rasmussen’s standing has grown beyond the numbers. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder called him the club’s benchmark, saying any pitcher looking for an example of success can find one close by in Rasmussen.
Manager Kevin Cash has likened Rasmussen to Hall of Famer Roy Halladay, a comparison Cash understands well after sharing a Toronto clubhouse with Halladay in the early 2000s. Cash described it as the highest level of praise.
Veteran starter Nick Martinez sees Rasmussen as the sort of pitcher around whom a club can be constructed, and baseball operations president Erik Neander said Rasmussen represents everything the Rays want their organization to embody, and then some.
That reputation has been built across Rasmussen’s Tampa Bay career. His 2.71 ERA is the best in franchise history, and his 15.8 bWAR ranks fourth among Rays pitchers. The latest season followed his return from a third major elbow operation in 2024 and his re-establishment as a full-time starter in 2025.
Routine before the spotlight
Rasmussen, 31, does not pretend the postseason carries the same emotional temperature as a regular-season start. There is added excitement and adrenaline, he said, but the work remains unchanged. His objective is still to make the pitch he can control and put his club in position to win.
His approach traces back to his father, Mark, a longtime teacher whom Rasmussen calls one of the hardest workers he has known. Mark’s day has long begun early: gym first, then school early enough to finish work before the day’s demands arrive. That schedule also enabled him to attend every one of his son’s games and practices.
Rasmussen sees pitching much like preparing for an exam. As a student, he said, he disliked walking into a test knowing he had left study time unused. He carries the same feeling to the mound; being underprepared is not a state he accepts.
He jokingly describes the broad outline of his routine as doing everything, every day. But it is not a stubborn routine. Injuries, age and changing hitter tendencies have required adjustments.
- He makes sure his body is fully ready before he begins throwing.
- His gym work now leans more toward mobility and less toward heavy lifting, though the workouts remain demanding.
- His bullpen workload between starts can change, but he throws each session with intent.
- Before facing an opponent, he watches at least six of its games from the previous two weeks, focusing on at-bats against pitchers whose repertoires resemble his own.
When Tampa Bay’s more detailed scouting material arrives, Rasmussen generally finds that it confirms much of what he has already seen on his own. He will take that same preparation into Saturday night.
For a Rays club that finished first in the American League, there is no uncertainty at the front of the rotation. Rasmussen has recovered, delivered and set the tone all year. Game 1 is simply the next assignment.
