Rays' Erasmo Ramirez: Confirmed as Thursday starter
Manager Kevin Cash confirmed that Ramirez would enter the rotation and start Thursday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Ramirez was a natural choice to replace Jake Odorizzi (hamstring) in the rotation, as he came on in Saturday's game against the Red Sox to pitch two innings of long relief after Odorizzi exited early. Given his prior experience as a starting pitcher, Ramirez may not face a strict pitch limit Thursday, though the Rays would probably prefer to keep him under 100 as he aims to stretch his arm out. Odorizzi is expected to miss more than the minimum 10 days with the injury, so Ramirez could be on tap for multiple starts if he performs well enough Thursday.