Zack Littell

March 15, 2025

Misstep in rotation competition

Littell allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two across two innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

Analysis

This marked Littell's second official spring appearance as he continues to compete for a rotation spot to begin the regular season. He didn't help his cause with his results, as he was pulled in two separate innings before returning to build up his pitch count. Following the game, Littell chalked the performance up to simply a bad outing, while manager Kevin Cash expressed optimism that Littell would bounce back, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Perhaps the lone positive was that Littell did reach 72 pitches, suggesting he'll be fully stretched out by Opening Day. Drew Rasmussen, Littell's presumed primary competition, is set to start Saturday's game against the Yankees.