Why LI's Steven Matz is exactly where he wants to be with the Rays

This year’s remarkable Rays, who as of Saturday owned baseball’s best record at 34-15, feature a number of creative innovations.

Not the least of which is returning Steven Matz to a starting role.

The former Ward Melville star probably never imagined he’d wind up with Tampa Bay. Few established major-league players do. But Matz, who made his electrifying debut 11 years ago for the Mets, is exactly where he wants to be — back in the rotation of a team that has a 92.8% chance of making the playoffs (according to FanGraphs).

“That was a huge priority for me,” Matz told Newsday before Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. “I believe that I still have more left in the tank.”

It seems like just yesterday that Matz, who will turn 35 this week, was part of the Mets’ youthful Fab Four alongside Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. He was the last one to climb aboard during that magical season, and his June 28 unveiling at Citi Field was nothing short of spectacular. Matz’s 7 2⁄3 innings and six strikeouts were fantastic in the 7-2 victory over the Reds, but he also had a three-hit, four-RBI day, back when pitchers still swung a bat.

Matz made three postseason starts during the Mets’ amazing dash to the World Series in 2015 — and not one since. His only other playoff appearances came for the Red Sox last October, when he was deployed for two relief stints in their Wild Card Series loss to the Yankees.

By then, Matz was a full-time bullpen resident, as Boston had acquired him from the Cardinals at the trade deadline after seeing his success as a multi-inning relief weapon with St. Louis. But in looking at his options this past winter, Matz yearned for another starting opportunity, and that aligned perfectly with the budget-conscious Rays’ eye for market inefficiencies.

Proven track record

Matz’s recent job title was reliever, but he still had the pedigree of high-ceiling starter, which is what the Rays valued in giving him a two-year, $15 million contract. For big spenders such as the Yankees or Mets, that’s the price tag for late-inning bullpen help. But for the Rays, whose $108 million payroll ranks 28th in the majors, Matz’s $7.5 million salary makes him the third-highest-paid player on the roster behind Nick Martinez ($13M), a free-agent starter signed in February, and DH Yandy Diaz ($12M), the team’s most consistent offensive threat.

The Rays have performed like a brilliant investment. Martinez is 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA after pitching six solid innings in Friday night’s 4-2 victory by Tampa Bay, which improved to 4-0 against the Yankees this season with its 16th victory in the past 19 games. Matz (4-1, 3.70 ERA) is among three converted relievers in the starting staff, along with Drew Rasmussen and Griffin Jax, in a rotation that leads the majors in ERA (2.96) and ranks sixth in opponents’ batting average (.216).

The Rays’ 41 home runs are tied with the awful Giants (20-31) for the third fewest in baseball, and Junior Caminero is responsible for 13 of them. But they lead MLB in sacrifice bunts (17), have the third-most stolen bases (53) and boast a strikeout rate of 18.7%, the lowest in the sport. They are 14-2 against the AL East and their 9-1 record in one-run games is baseball’s best.

‘No huge egos’

“There’s definitely a lot of confidence with the group,” Matz said. “And I think what we have in this clubhouse is really special. I was talking to Nick Martinez and we were like, it kind of feels like the minor leagues. We just have this camaraderie where everyone’s on the same level — there’s no huge egos, there’s no cliques. Hats off to the front office for picking these guys and understanding that’s part of a winning culture as well.”

All that, and on a tight budget, too. By stretching his limited dollars, president of baseball operations Erik Neander has assembled a roster tailor-made for a small-ball approach, with the clubhouse chemistry turning out to be a bonus.

Remember that run-prevention mantra preached constantly by the Mets since last October? The Rays are putting on a clinic, with an effective formula on both sides of the ball that has resulted in a plus-42 run differential, the fifth-best in the majors.

“I think we’re doing a lot of things well,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’re doing little things well. We’ve maximized opportunities with guys in scoring position. It’s a lineup filled with a bunch of guys that make contact and put pressure on pitchers, and then our overall speed. The up-the-middle defense has been good and the pitching has been tremendous.”

This experience is a first for Matz, who was a 2009 second-round pick (72nd overall) by the big-market Mets. His only other stops were with two more of baseball’s marquee franchises. Matz signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Cardinals after the 2021 season in a move that irritated Mets owner Steve Cohen, who was under the impression the Stony Brook native planed to return, then finished that contract with the Red Sox after being dealt to the AL East last season.

Key component

Now Matz is an integral part of baseball’s biggest underdog story, a first-place team that nobody saw coming. (Except for maybe the people who put it together after two consecutive losing seasons.)

“I think they’re very strategic in the way they formulate a team and it’s cool to see it actually come to fruition,” Matz said. “But the other thing is, yeah, we have our big boppers in the middle of the lineup, but it seems like every night someone else is stepping up and contributing. That’s the recipe for a successful season. You’re not relying on just certain guys to carry you because everyone goes through lulls.”

Matz had his own hiccup earlier this month when he was placed on the IL with left elbow inflammation, the sport’s most alarming diagnosis — especially given that he already had Tommy John surgery in 2010. But the MRI revealed no structural damage, and Matz returned Wednesday to limit the Orioles to one run and three hits with five strikeouts in four innings.

Cash pulled Matz after only 67 pitches, and the Rays will be mindful of his workload as he reverts to a starter. Matz had a total of 76 2⁄3 innings as a reliever last season and he’s more than halfway there (41 1⁄3) before Memorial Day. Still, the Rays are confident Matz can handle the switch because he’s done this the majority of his career.

“It was really his desire,” Cash said. ”When we talked to him this offseason, he was the one that was pretty adamant about it. Nobody knows their body better than themselves, and this is a guy that’s been in pretty impeccable shape for many, many years. Sometimes, maybe with that lesser workload because of being in the bullpen, you’re better for it if you transition back. I was thrilled that we got him back [Wednesday] and he should be about close to full-go. He’s been as big a part of our rotation as anybody.”

Returning to this role has allowed Matz to come full circle. His eight starts already are more than he’s had in a season since he made 17 for the Cardinals in 2023. Now the Rays are displaying the potential to get Matz on an October mound again, this time with those special first-inning vibes.

Now in his 12th season, Matz looked around the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and marveled at how the years have “flown by.” After enjoying a standout high school career on Long Island and making his major-league debut with the Mets, being in the Bronx again was a natural reflection point.

“Honestly, I didn’t know if I would ever throw a professional pitch,” said Matz, who needed the UCL repair at age 18, then endured a longer-than-usual rehab process. “Having Tommy John, then I was just trying to make it to rookie ball at that point, and that was 16 years ago.”

For Matz, this second-chance season with the surprising Rays could be the most unexpected and memorable of them all.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.