Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said Tuesday that Baz (elbow) will be built up slowly coming out of spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Baz had Tommy John surgery nearly 17 months ago and has completed that rehab. However, since he's coming off a lost season and didn't have ton of pro innings under his belt prior to that, the team will proceed cautiously with the young right-hander. Whether that could mean starting his season at extended spring training or in the minors isn't clear. Baz posted a 4.02 ERA and 48:12 K:BB over 40.1 innings covering nine starts for Tampa Bay from 2021-22.