Cody Whitley Will return to the Rays in 2026. According to Matt Eddy’s minor league deal roundup on Baseball America, the right-hander has signed a new minor league deal with the club.
Whitley, 30, joined the Cardinals in the 2017 draft and made his MLB debut with St. Louis in 2020. In parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, he pitched to a 3.38 ERA in 42.2 innings of mostly low-leverage relief before getting beat at the end of the 2022 season. He has not pitched in a major league game since.
Whitley spent the 2023 Triple-A season with the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) and then with the Gwinnett Stripers (Warriors) after being released in mid-July. Unfortunately for the right-hander, his 5.49 ERA and 5.12 FIP in 57.1 innings seemed to scare off potential suitors in year two. The Braves released him weeks before Opening Day in 2024, and he was unsigned for the remainder of the season.
A year later, however, the Rays came calling and signed Whitley to a minor league contract. While he missed about half of 2025 due to injury and failed to return to the majors, he showed signs of promise when he took the mound. In 28.2 minor league innings, he struck out 38 batters and walked just four. Apparently, the Rays have seen enough promise to re-examine his arm in 2026. If Whitley is able to return to the majors, he will have one year of option remaining, which could help keep him on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.
