By winning the American League East and securing the top seed, the Tampa Bay Rays earned a bye past the Wild Card Round and a spot directly in the Division Series. They'll face either the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, who square off in the ALWC.

With Game 1 of the ALDS scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3 at Tropicana Field, manager Kevin Cash has confirmed ace Drew Rasmussen will start the opener for the Rays. As for the rest of the series rotation, Cash said they'll have “more decisions as the week unfolds” and it'll depend on who they play, the Yankees or the Red Sox.

Rasmussen enters the postseason after a career-best regular season in which he went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA across 30 starts. The right-hander threw 172 innings and recorded 174 strikeouts, while logging a 4.7 bWAR. He also led the AL with a 0.91 WHIP and a 5.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Rasmussen was Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter and earned his second consecutive All-Star selection. He also started the Rays' playoff-clinching win on Sept. 11 and their division-clinching win on Sept. 22.

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Back as a full-time starter in 2025 after his return from a third major elbow surgery in 2024, Rasmussen is now central to Tampa Bay's rotation. He now owns the franchise's best career ERA at 2.71, and his 15.8 bWAR ranks fourth among Rays pitchers all-time.

Tampa Bay's bye gives the pitching staff time to rest and allows the club to structure its rotation for the postseason. However, the schedule creates decisions beyond Game 1, with an off day between Games 1 and 2 and another between Games 2 and 3. Game 3 is scheduled for Oct. 7, while a potential Game 4 would follow on Oct. 8 and a potential Game 5 on Oct. 10.

Rasmussen will therefore be the first pitcher the Rays turn to in their first postseason series since 2023, with the rest of the rotation still to be determined.