PHOENIX, June 29 \u2014 Left-hander Colin Poche<\/a><\/strong> has been a key late-inning reliever for the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> in 2023, with 25 of his 33 appearances being scoreless. Manager Kevin Cash<\/a><\/strong> calls him someone who is \u201cwilling to do whatever is needed down in the bullpen to help us get wins.\u201d Right-handed reliever Jason Adam<\/a><\/strong> added that he\u2019s \u201cdominating hitters in high-leverage situations.\u201d Clearly, the Rays trust him, but the path he took to reach this point has been an interesting one.<\/p>\n Colin Poche was drafted in the 14th round of the 2016 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a>. When the Diamondbacks, Rays, and New York Yankees<\/a> agreed to a three-team trade on February 20, 2018, several moves went into it. The Yankees sent right-hander Taylor Widener<\/a><\/strong> to the Diamondbacks and infielder Nick Solak<\/a><\/strong> to the Rays. Brandon Drury<\/a><\/strong> went from the Diamondbacks to the Yankees. The Rays sent Steven Souza Jr.<\/strong><\/a> to the Diamondbacks. But the Diamondbacks did not send anyone to the Rays right away. Instead, they sent two Players to Be Named Later, or PTBNLs. \u201cIt was unique,\u201d Poche said. He added that it was \u201cone of those weird situations where everyone knew about the trade\u2026. As time went on, we found out there was a list of guys that they could choose from.\u201d<\/p>\n While pitching for the Double-A Jackson Generals \u2014 the Diamondbacks affiliate at the time \u2014 there were scouts there from the Rays as well as the Diamondbacks. \u201cYou\u2019re almost pitching for multiple teams,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it was really interesting, knowing what I knew about the Rays and how they focus on relievers, that I was on this list. I was putting up a good year and kind of had a good idea that I was going to get traded over. When it actually happened, it was bittersweet, because there are so many good people in that Diamondbacks organization that I got close with in that short amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n May 1 was the day it actually happened. Poche recalled, \u201cI was very excited to come over to the Rays organization, just knowing how they are at developing pitchers and pushing guys to the big leagues when they’re ready. So it was pretty exciting times.\u201d<\/p>\n He reported to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, but only pitched in three games for them. A week and a half later, he reported to the Triple-A Durham Bulls, where he stayed until June of 2019. On June 8, he debuted for the Rays, where he stayed for the rest of the season. That October, he pitched in every game of the Division Series, which the Rays ultimately lost to the eventual pennant winners, the Houston Astros<\/a>, in five.<\/p>\n\u201cPitching for Multiple Teams\u201d<\/h3>\n
Injury and Rehab for Colin Poche<\/h3>\n