Jax agreed to a one-year, $3.565 million contract with the Rays on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jax receives a decent raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility after posting a 4.23 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 99:21 K:BB over 66 innings between the Rays and Twins last season. The right-hander is expected to begin 2026 as part of Tampa Bay's closer committee, along with Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta.

Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

There's been some talk of Jax potentially stretching out to join the Rays' rotation, but the current plan is to leave the 31-year-old in the bullpen. Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline, Jax had an elevated 4.23 ERA in 2025, but a 2.51 FIP and 35 percent strikeout rate were more indicative of how he pitched. Mason Montgomery, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez (elbow) could also work their way into high-leverage work, but the tentative plan seems to be for Jax, Cleavinger and Uceta to share the closer role.

Jax will serve as the Rays' opener in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Ryan Pepiot unavailable for his scheduled start Wednesday due to fatigue, the Rays will turn to Jax to kick things off in what figures to be a bullpen game. The 30-year-old right-hander has given up eight earned runs in just 12 innings since joining the Rays and isn't expected to pitch past the first inning during what will be his second opening assignment in seven days.

Jax will serve as the opener in Friday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jax has worked primarily in high-leverage spots all season, and that has continued since he joined the Rays at the trade deadline. However, he's struggled to a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 10 innings with Tampa Bay, so this could be a way for him to reset. Jax will likely only work one inning before turning things over to Ian Seymour.

Jax didn't factor into the decision during Tuesday's 6-5 win over Seattle, allowing one run on two walks and one hit without recording an out.

EDGE Analysis

Jax took the mound in the ninth inning of a two-run game, but he was removed in favor of Garrett Cleavinger after yielding two walks and a single without logging an out. Cleavinger held on for the save, but one of Jax's inherited runners came in to score. It's unclear why regular closer Pete Fairbanks didn't pitch Tuesday, as Fairbanks had pitched once in the last three days and remains a reliable ninth-inning option.

Jax (1-6) allowed three earned runs on three hits while striking out one across one inning to take the loss Friday against the Mariners.

EDGE Analysis

This marked Jax's fourth appearance since being dealt to the Rays, and the second in which he's allowed at least one earned run. He entered the game in the eighth inning with a two-run lead, but he allowed a pair of singles before serving up a three-run home run to Cal Raleigh. Jax now has an inflated 4.93 ERA on the season, but his 76:15 K:BB in 49.1 innings is indicative of how dominant he's been for long stretches of the campaign.

The Rays acquired Jax from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for Taj Bradley, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jax briefly appeared poised to step in as Minnesota's closer after Jhoan Duran was dealt on Wednesday, but the Twins instead fully committed to being deadline sellers. Jax had been operating has a setup man and is likely to fill the same role in Tampa Bay, though closer Pete Fairbanks' 5.79 ERA in his past nine outings could provide a path to saves.

Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning with a walk in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Rays. He has a 3.86 ERA with 18 holds in 37.1 innings this season.

EDGE Analysis

It was a rare appearance for Jax without a strikeout, as he has an eye-popping 61:9 K:BB and 39.1 percent strikeout rate. After early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him briefly demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax has a 1.84 ERA since April 22 and has been the primary set-up man to closer Jhoan Duran. Unlike previous seasons, manager Rocco Baldelli has mostly kept Duran in the ninth inning instead of deploying him in higher-leverage spots earlier in the game, limiting Jax's save opportunities.

Jax allowed a run on a home run with a strikeout in an inning of work in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox to earn his ninth hold.

EDGE Analysis

After his early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax had improved before Sunday with five scoreless innings and a 11:0 K:BB. Even with giving up the home run Sunday, it looks like he's back to working in the eighth inning ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.

Jax (0-2) took the loss in Friday's 6-4 loss to Atlanta. He allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning.

EDGE Analysis

Jax began the eighth inning with a three-run lead but couldn't hit his spots and wasn't helped by a shaky defense. It's his second poor outing in a row that has cost the Twins a lead. He has an ugly 11.25 ERA and 2.13 WHIP. He does have a strong 12:3 K:BB in eight innings with an unsustainable .480 BABIP, so there's plenty of reasons to believe he'll turn his season around. Still, he may see usage in lower-leverage spots the next few games to get him back on track.