Rays haven't named a Game 1 starter, and Rasmussen may not be it

The Tampa Bay Rays are one day from Game 1 of the World Series in Milwaukee, and they have not yet told anyone who is pitching it.

That is, technically, their right. It is also, practically, the most interesting open question in baseball on Wednesday — and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has a theory about the answer.

What happened

Per Rosenthal, the Rays are weighing whether to hold ace Drew Rasmussen back until Game 2 in order to give him additional rest. In that scenario, right-hander Nick Martinez would take the ball for Game 1, with ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta lined up for Game 3. Rosenthal reported that Rays officials were "deliberating over how to proceed" as of Tuesday, per Charlie Wright at MLB Trade Rumors.

Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 1 for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Rays' side of the ledger remains, as of this writing, TBD.

Why it matters

Rasmussen is the logical top-of-the-rotation choice — the kind of name a club typically announces with quiet confidence before a World Series opener. The fact that Tampa Bay is reportedly still deliberating, per Rosenthal, suggests the decision is genuinely unsettled rather than a strategic misdirection.

The rest calculus is real. The Rays advanced to the World Series after winning the ALCS, overcoming a 2-1 series deficit, and the schedule was not gentle getting there. ALCS Game 4 was postponed from Friday to Saturday due to heavy rain and then played in frigid conditions, compressing the back end of the series. Any extra day of rest for a frontline starter carries weight in that context.

Peralta's presence in this conversation is its own story. Acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline after a difficult first half of 2026, he went on to win ALCS MVP honors and help carry Tampa Bay to the World Series. Now, per Rosenthal's scenario, he would slot into Game 3 — a remarkable arc for a pitcher who changed addresses at midseason.

Martinez as a Game 1 starter in the World Series would be a notable deployment, though the Rays have never been a club that treats convention as a constraint. They popularized the opener concept in the regular season; using their No. 2 or No. 3 starter to open the World Series while protecting their ace for Game 2 is, at minimum, consistent with how this organization thinks about pitching.

The numbers

The Rays finished the regular season 98-64 (.605), first in the AL East.

Where the club stands

Tampa Bay enters the World Series at 98-64 (.605), sitting atop the AL East and carrying a one-game losing streak into Milwaukee. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, October 23 at American Family Field, with Game 2 on Saturday, October 24. The series shifts to Tropicana Field for Game 3 on Monday, October 26. Probable pitchers for Game 1 remain listed as TBD for Tampa Bay opposite Misiorowski.

Junior Caminero: where does he hit?

The second lineup question surrounding the Rays involves Junior Caminero, and it is a quieter one — but worth tracking. Caminero closed the ALCS hitting cleanup, having opened that series in his customary No. 3 spot. He hit third in all three games of the ALDS.

The shift to cleanup during the ALCS came in a specific context: two of the last three games against the Guardians featured a right-handed opener, with a Parker Messick start sandwiched in between. Manager Kevin Cash deployed three different hitters in the No. 3 spot across those matchups — Chandler Simpson, Ryan Vilade, and Liam Hicks — adjusting around the handedness of whoever was on the mound.

Milwaukee's rotation is righty-heavy and, per Wright, the Brewers rarely use openers. With Misiorowski — a right-hander — starting Game 1, the matchup logic that pushed Caminero to cleanup in the ALCS largely dissolves. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Caminero is expected to move back up to third in the order for Game 1.

Christian Yelich: is he in the lineup?

On the Milwaukee side, the more straightforward lineup question has a more straightforward answer. Brewers captain Christian Yelich sat out Game 1 of the NLCS entirely — the Dodgers started left-hander Tarik Skubal, and manager Pat Murphy countered with right-handed-swinging Andrew Vaughn at DH. Vaughn's plate appearances after Skubal departed came against left-handed relievers, which closed off any pinch-hit opportunity for Yelich. He was also on the bench for Game 3 against Blake Snell.

The World Series rotation sets up differently. Per Wright, the Rays' rotation is an entirely right-handed group: Rasmussen, Martinez, Peralta, and Griffin Jax. Milwaukee reportedly uses openers rarely, and there is no left-hander in Tampa Bay's projected starting mix. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Yelich is expected to be in the Brewers' starting lineup for Game 1 — a significant upgrade to Milwaukee's offense after a postseason in which the matchup calendar kept him on the bench.

What we don't know yet

The Rays have not revealed their Game 1 starter. Rosenthal's scenario — Martinez in Game 1, Rasmussen in Game 2, Peralta in Game 3 — is a reported theory about an ongoing internal deliberation, not a club announcement. Tampa Bay could still name Rasmussen for the opener, or reveal an entirely different arrangement. Until the club makes its pitching plans public, everything on that side of the ledger is speculative, however well-sourced.

It is also worth noting that Caminero's expected return to the No. 3 spot is a projection based on matchup logic, not a lineup card. Cash has shown throughout this postseason that he is willing to move pieces around depending on who is pitching.

What to watch

The Rays' pitching announcement — whenever it comes — will answer the biggest pre-series question and set the rotation order for at least the first three games. Watch for whether Cash reveals the Martinez-Rasmussen-Peralta sequence Rosenthal outlined, or whether Tampa Bay takes yet another unexpected turn.

For Milwaukee, Yelich's presence in the lineup against a right-handed staff is the storyline to monitor on the offensive side. After sitting out two NLCS games against left-handers, the Brewers' captain is reportedly set to be a fixture in this series — and the Rays' rotation, as currently constructed, gives Pat Murphy no reason to keep him on the bench.

Game 1 is Friday at American Family Field. The Rays' starter is TBD.