Last offseason, the Rays acquired Mason Englert from the Tigers for Drew Sommers, adding a flexible arm with multiple innings and option years. Englert filled that role well, posting solid results while going more than one inning in nearly half of his appearances.
But the interesting question is whether the Rays should ask for more. Marc Topkin reports this that Englert was being considered for a rotation spot before Nick Martinez was brought in. Signing Martinez should not come at the expense of extending Englert.
Englert’s combination of plus-strike throwing, form diversity and outlier command — especially from his changeup — gives him traits that translate beyond mid-relief. With incremental adjustments already happening, there is a plausible path to a back-end starter role.
Englert, a fourth-round pick in 2018, lost nearly three seasons to Tommy John surgery and the pandemic but quickly established himself as a strike-throwing starter in A-ball. By 2022, his 66% success rate and deep repertoire made him a Rule 5 target.
The Tigers followed the usual script for Rule 5 pickups that must remain on the Major League roster. They deployed it with low leverage. It was no surprise that Englert didn’t immediately replicate his previous MiLB success – especially considering he skipped AAA.
In 2024, Rule 5 was no longer in effect, meaning Englert could be optioned, and he rightfully spent most of the season in AAA. His production in the majors still wasn’t great when he was promoted, but it was an improvement over what he showed in 2023.
Englert’s defining trait is throwing strikes – a skill the Rays value quite a bit.
The team helped change the shape of Englert’s cutter in 2025, reducing vertical breakage and adding some horizontal movement. The result is a pitch with clearer separation from its four-sieve and more gyro characteristics, effectively combining its previous cutter and slider into a single, more versatile form. The 2025 grip shows it working more around the ball (top image; index finger more on the side of the ball), compared to the 2024’s more grip behind the ball (bottom image; index finger more behind the ball).
Englert now throws three different fastball shapes – similar to the Drew Rasmussen and Shawn Armstrong molds we’ve seen in the past. Fastballs are generally the easiest forms to control, but don’t usually generate as many scents, so it makes sense that Englert has become more of a contact manager with this adjustment. The rest of his arsenal remains largely unchanged. Any subtle differences in shape can be attributed to his arm slot shifting from 33 degrees in 2024 to 40 degrees in 2025.
The other change to Englert’s arsenal when he joined the Rays was that he added a bigger breaking ball shape. Although used sparingly (8%), the addition refers to preparation for a starter or bulk role in 2026. This mid-70s breaking ball gives him a third distinct speed belt in his arsenal; his four- and two-seam are in the low 90s, while his offspeed pitch and cutter are in the upper 80s. Multiple shapes and speed bands give it a different look the second and third time in a setup.
While it may not have significant velocity or VAA separation from his fastball that you would normally want, Englert’s best pitch is his changeup. He might be able to master 70 level of it. Many pitchers have one general location for each of their pitches, but Englert can actually locate his changeup in two different locations depending on the batter’s dexterity. Below is his heatmap of the pitch against RHB last season:
While this pitch doesn’t have any physical outlier characteristics in terms of movement or how it interacts with his fastball, his control of it is an outlier. It’s clear why he’s so comfortable throwing the pitch to righties as well as lefties.
The obvious objection to Englert’s move into the rotation is that he doesn’t lack enough bats to establish himself as a traditional starter. His velocity is in the low 90s, and his whiff rates were modest. But the Rays have repeatedly shown that they value form diversity and control over pure speed. Starting isn’t just about overwhelming hitters; it’s about sequencing, disrupting timing and navigating a setup. Englert’s arsenal gives him the tools to do just that.
Given his command, form diversity and development potential, the Rays have little to lose by stretching him. He has different attack plans for both LHB and RHB, with enough shapes to vary the order several times per formation. He may not make it into the major league rotation right away, and he is in his final option year, so there is some flexibility as to how he can be used between AAA and the majors. The Rays don’t need Mason Englert to be a starter on the front line. They just need to find out if there’s more to it than medium relief, and the evidence suggests it’s worth asking the question.
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