Tampa Bay Rays: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Tampa Bay Rays set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay's lineup moved constantly in 2025: 153 different batting orders, tied for third most, and at catcher, shortstop, left field and center field no one started half the games. Danny Jansen led the catchers with only 66 starts, and Chandler Simpson led off most often with 67.
The opposing starter's hand mattered. The Rays started 4.55 left-handed hitters per game against right-handers but 2.06 against left-handers; Christopher Morel started 96% of games against left-handers and 23% against right-handers, while Jonathan Aranda started 72% against right-handers and 28% against left-handers. The rotation, by contrast, was among the most stable: Tampa Bay needed only nine starting pitchers (one more than St. Louis, the fewest), and Ryan Pepiot, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz made 31 starts each. Yandy Diaz was the main DH (114 starts).
Where the Tampa Bay Rays ranked in 2025
| Tampa Bay Rays | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 77 | 81.0 | 21 |
| Different batting orders | 153 | 135.9 | T-3 |
| Same order as previous game | 0.6% | 4.8% | T-29 |
| Most uses of one order | 3 | 4.8 | T-21 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 66% | 75% | 21 |
| Players in the lineup | 27 | 24.4 | T-6 |
| Games vs LHP | 47 | 42.6 | T-4 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.5 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 2.1 | 2.0 | 17 |
| Starting pitchers | 9 | 13.2 | T-26 |
| Top-five starters' share | 84% | 76% | 4 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 31% | 31% | 18 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 2% | 5% | T-27 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 41% | 58% | T-27 |
| Players at DH | 8 | 10.7 | T-23 |
| Top DH's share | 70% | 51% | 7 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 99–63 | 127 / 35 | 152 | 21 | 17 |
| 2024 | 80–82 | 125 / 37 | 144 | 25 | 14 |
| 2025 | 77–85 | 115 / 47 | 153 | 27 | 9 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Christian Bethancourt (89) | Ben Rortvedt (87) | Danny Jansen (66) |
| 1B | Yandy Diaz (117) | Yandy Diaz (110) | Jonathan Aranda (86) |
| 2B | Brandon Lowe (98) | Brandon Lowe (53) | Brandon Lowe (117) |
| 3B | Isaac Paredes (109) | Isaac Paredes (78) | Junior Caminero (146) |
| SS | Wander Franco (108) | Jose Caballero (83) | Taylor Walls (77) |
| LF | Randy Arozarena (137) | Randy Arozarena (84) | Christopher Morel (57) |
| CF | Jose Siri (92) | Jose Siri (116) | Chandler Simpson (51) |
| RF | Josh Lowe (86) | Josh Lowe (73) | Josh Lowe (97) |
| DH | Harold Ramirez (86) | Harold Ramirez (36) | Yandy Diaz (114) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 30 | 14–16 | 8 | 26 | 6 | – |
| May | 28 | 16–12 | 10 | 28 | 5 | Matt Thaiss |
| June | 27 | 17–10 | 6 | 25 | 5 | none |
| July | 25 | 7–18 | 5 | 24 | 6 | Ha-Seong Kim, Nick Fortes, Tristan Gray |
| August | 26 | 13–13 | 10 | 26 | 6 | 5: Bob Seymour, Carson Williams, Everson Pereira and others |
| September | 26 | 10–16 | 8 | 25 | 7 | none |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Chandler Simpson (67); 2. Brandon Lowe (69); 3. Junior Caminero (56); 4. Jonathan Aranda (64); 5. Christopher Morel (28); 6. Jake Mangum (41); 7. Jose Caballero (27); 8. Taylor Walls (30); 9. Taylor Walls (36).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Hunter Feduccia (28) | 5 | 74% |
| 1B | Yandy Diaz (36) | 7 | 50% |
| 2B | Curtis Mead (12) | 8 | 37% |
| 3B | Curtis Mead (7) | 5 | 19% |
| SS | Jose Caballero (30) | 5 | 44% |
| LF | Chandler Simpson (48) | 7 | 48% |
| CF | Kameron Misner (42) | 7 | 46% |
| RF | Jake Mangum (26) | 7 | 42% |
| DH | Christopher Morel (14) | 8 | 46% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.5 | 3.3 | 1.2 |
| Left-handed | 2.1 | 5.9 | 1.0 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Morel | right-handed | 23% (27) | 96% (45) |
| Jonathan Aranda | left-handed | 72% (83) | 28% (13) |
| Kameron Misner | left-handed | 44% (51) | 13% (6) |
| Brandon Lowe | left-handed | 88% (101) | 57% (27) |
| Josh Lowe | left-handed | 70% (81) | 43% (20) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Pepiot | RHP | 31 | March 28, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 | 5 | 11 |
| Drew Rasmussen | RHP | 31 | March 31, 2025 | Sept. 25, 2025 | 5 | 9 |
| Shane Baz | RHP | 31 | April 1, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 5 | 10 |
| Zack Littell | RHP | 22 | March 29, 2025 | July 30, 2025 | 5 | 7 |
| Taj Bradley | RHP | 21 | March 30, 2025 | July 23, 2025 | 5 | 7 |
| Adrian Houser | RHP | 10 | Aug. 4, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Joe Boyle | RHP | 9 | April 13, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 5 | 1 |
| Ian Seymour | LHP | 5 | Aug. 25, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 7.5 | 0 |
| Rest before start | Tampa Bay Rays | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 31% | 31% |
| 5 days | 56% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 10% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 2% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 41% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 36 | 25% | 44% |
| All other games | 126 | 45% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Yandy Diaz | 114 | 70% |
| Christopher Morel | 14 | 9% |
| Jonathan Aranda | 10 | 6% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used only 3 times (club average 4.8).
Lineup 1 (3 times, last on Sept. 23, 2025): 1. Chandler Simpson CF, 2. Yandy Diaz DH, 3. Brandon Lowe 2B, 4. Junior Caminero 3B, 5. Josh Lowe RF, 6. Jake Mangum LF, 7. Hunter Feduccia C, 8. Carson Williams SS, 9. Bob Seymour 1B.
Lineup 2 (2 times, last on April 4, 2025): 1. Yandy Diaz DH, 2. Brandon Lowe 2B, 3. Junior Caminero 3B, 4. Jonathan Aranda 1B, 5. Christopher Morel LF, 6. Kameron Misner RF, 7. Danny Jansen C, 8. Taylor Walls SS, 9. Jonny DeLuca CF.
Lineup 3 (2 times, last on April 15, 2025): 1. Yandy Diaz DH, 2. Brandon Lowe 2B, 3. Junior Caminero 3B, 4. Jonathan Aranda 1B, 5. Christopher Morel LF, 6. Kameron Misner CF, 7. Jake Mangum RF, 8. Taylor Walls SS, 9. Ben Rortvedt C.
Top nine vs RHP (5/115): Brandon Lowe, Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum, Jonathan Aranda, Josh Lowe, Junior Caminero, Matt Thaiss, Taylor Walls, Yandy Diaz.
Top nine vs LHP (4/47): Christopher Morel, Curtis Mead, Danny Jansen, Jake Mangum, Jonathan Aranda, Jose Caballero, Junior Caminero, Taylor Walls, Yandy Diaz.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.