The Rays have thrown more changeups than any team in baseball this season. But the team isn’t just relying on one cookie cutter changeup. Each pitch looks different depending on the pitcher, and it also has a differing role in each mix.
An example of that is both SP Drew Rasmussen and RP Kevin Kelly added changeups this season, but utilize two different grips and use the pitch very differently.
RHP Drew Rasmussen’s Kick-Change
Drew Rasmussen is a starter who primarily relies on three fastballs: Sinker (95mph), Cutter (90mph), and Fourseamer (96mph) and throws from a high ¾ slot. He started throwing a kick-change this season and while he introduced the changeup against both hands, he primarily throws it against lefties, as the usage against righties is rare (5%).
With three fastballs, the 92mph changeup works to keep hitters off balance with different movement. While similar in velocity, the pitch has more depth than all of his fastballs. He uses it to generate chase and throws it low and away to lefties:
Graphics from Baseball Savant
This adds movement to an area that Rasmussen did not throw to in the past. His fourseam allows him to work up, while his sinker and cutter are thrown in. The changeup adds a pitch he can use to the outer half and below the zone, forcing left-handed hitters to monitor another part of the plate.
Even though the zone rate on the pitch is low, he gets 4% more chase than average and 22% more ground balls. He often uses it when he is ahead in the count and in two strike counts.
The addition of this pitch accompanies an improvement in Rasmussen’s stats against lefties:
| Vs LHH | K% | BB% | FIP |
| 2025 | 24% | 7% | 3.93 |
| 2026 | 27% | 6% | 3.26 |
While the sample is small, the changeup gives Rasmussen another weapon for attacking lefties without hurting the strengths of his existing fastball mix.
RHP Kevin Kelly’s Modified Circle Change
Reliever Kelly has a very different look from Rasmussen and he throws from an extremely low slot.
His primary fastball is his 91mph sinker and he also throws a 78mph sweeper. This season, he reduced his sweeper usage in favor of this new modified circle changeup, which he throws 26% of the time.
The changeup is 86mph, which is about 5mph slower than his sinker. When considering these velocities to be averages, 5mph is not much of a separation. The main separator of the changeup is its movement.
| Movement Metric | Sinker (91mph) | Changeup (86mph) | Separation |
| Total Vertical Drop | 37 in | 45.1 in | 8.1 in more depth (lower) |
| Horizontal Break | 17 in | 12.5 in | 4.5 in less run (tighter) |
This is important for Kelly because of his low arm slot. His sinker already has plus horizontal movement, while the changeup provides additional depth without needing a huge velocity gap.
Against right-handed hitters, Kelly throws the sinker to the lower inner quadrant. The changeup tunnels with the sinker and then drops to the lower edge.
As a result, the changeup gets 24% more chase than average and 5% more ground balls.
Against left-handed hitters, Kelly throws the sinker middle lower half and the changeup to the lower outer quadrant, often fading out of zone.
Similar to the results against righties, the changeup gets 6% more chase and 30% more ground balls compared to MLB average.
Both Rasmussen and Kelly have had success so far this year with their new changeups, even though the pitches are completely different. And this is just two examples, there is a broader trend among the Rays pitchers that is leading to an increase in changeups.
More Rays Pitchers With Increased Changeup Usage
RHP Bryan Baker joined the Rays in 2025 at the trade deadline and his changeup usage increased from about 24% to 36%. It’s risen to 45% this season. He throws a 85 mph circle change that pairs with his 97mph fourseam. There is a large 12 mph velocity gap that allows him to have success with just these two pitches. The success of the changeup has also allow him to simplify his mix by reducing the usage of his slider.
LHP Steven Matz joined the Rays this season and his changeup usage increased from 18% to 30%. His 83mph circle change is 10mph slower than his 93mph sinker. The changeup has similar horizontal movement to the sinker with more depth. He uses the changeup below the sinker in zone.
RHP Freddy Peralta is new to the team following the trade deadline, but threw a circle changeup throughout this season with the Mets. However, in his second start with the Rays he increased his changeup usage by about 14%.
While there was not a major increase in usage for LHP Shane McClanahan and LHP Ian Seymour, its worth mentioning that they were developed through the Rays organization and both rely heavily on changeups (split circle for McClanahan and circle for Seymour).
Why Does This Matter
While its interesting that the team as a whole has increased changeup usage, when I find more interesting is that each pitcher’s changeup is unique to him.
While several pitchers have added a changeup this season or recently, the pitches were built around different foundations. There isn’t one particular grip, velocity, or movement profile that is being applied to the entire staff. Each changeup fits the pitcher who is incorporating it.
So rather than treating the changeup as a standardized pitch that every pitcher in the staff should add and implement, the Rays are using it as a tool to complement the pitchers’ existing strengths.