After 11 seasons in professional baseball and at the age of 32, Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Chris Mazza has been informed that he's made the team's Opening Day roster. Mazza has pitched in 73 2/3 major league innings, but he's never made an Opening Day roster before now. In his 32 big-league appearances with the Rays, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, Mazza has a 4.89 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, 61 strikeouts, 27 walks and one save. Mazza tossed 27 1/3 innings for the Rays last year and had a 4.61 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, 21 strikeouts and seven walks. He'll open the year in a low-leverage bullpen role for Tampa.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Mazza allowed one earned run on two hits and no walks while striking out one over three innings during Friday's 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He secured his first save of the season. The 31-year-old was optioned to Triple-A Durham after the game. Mazza cruised through three innings on Friday, and his only mistake was surrendering a solo blast to Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins in the ninth inning. Overall, he owns a 4.97 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings in 2021. Mazza will head back to the minors for now but could rejoin the Rays sometime in September.