Steven Wilson: Everything you need to know

The Rays placed Wilson (back) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday. Wilson had expressed optimism that his absence would be brief, but his placement on the 60-day IL means the reliever's recovery has not come along as hoped. He's working his way back from lumbar disc inflammation.

Wilson said Sunday that his lower back has responded well to an injection, and he hopes to be ready to make his season debut shortly after Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Wilson's back issue cropped up following his second bullpen session of spring training and prompted the Rays to shut him down. The righty reliever is still waiting for the injection to take full effect, but assuming it alleviates the lingering pain in his back, he should initiate a throwing program in the coming days. Once healthy, Wilson is likely to fill a middle-innings role for Tampa Bay, who acquired him in November after he turned in a 3.42 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 51:22 K:BB over 55.1 innings out of the White Sox bullpen in 2025.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Wilson is dealing with back issues and will not be ready for Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Wilson missed significant time during the 2024 season with back problems, though it's not clear whether this is a recurrence of those issues. The veteran reliever was acquire via trade this offseason and has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League contest. Consider Wilson out indefinitely.