Getty Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash looks to guide his team back to the World Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays have aspirations of a fourth-straight postseason appearance in 2022, but they’ll have to navigate an increasingly challenging AL East first.
In 2022, most Rays games will be locally televised on Bally Sports Sun, while others may be nationally televised on MLB Network (those ones will also be on Bally Sports Sun), ESPN, ESPN2, Fox or Fox Sports 1.
If you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch every Rays game live online in 2022, including options for both in-market and out-of-market viewers:
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If You’re in the Rays Market
DirecTV Stream
This is the only streaming service that includes Bally Sports Sun
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN, ESPN2, Fox and FS1 are included in every one, while Bally Sports Sun and MLB Network are in “Choice” and up, but you can pick any package and any add-ons you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Rays games live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream comes with unlimited cloud DVR recordings.
If You’re Out of the Rays Market
Amazon Prime’s MLB.TV Channel
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch every out-of-market, non-nationally televised MLB game via Prime Channels.
The MLB.TV channel costs either $24.99 per month to watch every out-of-market game (“All Team Pass”) or $109.99 for the year to just watch out-of-market Rays games (“Single Team Pass”), but either option comes with a free seven-day trial:
MLB.TV Amazon Prime Free Trial
Once you’re signed up for the Prime MLB.TV Channel, out-of-market viewers can watch Rays games live on the Prime Video app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. You can also watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
If you can’t watch live, all games are available on-demand by the next day.
MLB.TV
This is ultimately the same as the Amazon Prime option above, only you’ll watch games on MLB’s digital platforms instead of Amazon’s.
You can watch all out-of-market, non-nationally televised MLB games via MLB.TV. It costs $24.99 per month or $129.99 for the year to watch every out-of-market game, or $109.99 for the year to just watch out-of-market Rays games. The monthly and yearly all-team options include a free seven-day trial (the single-team option does not):
Once signed up for MLB.TV, out-of-market viewers can watch Rays games live on the MLB TV app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, various Smart TV’s, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. You can also watch on your computer via the MLB.TV website.
If you can’t watch live, all games are available on-demand by the next day.
ESPN+
This isn’t going to be an option to watch many Rays games, but if you’re looking for a cheap way to watch a random MLB game daily, ESPN+ includes at least one out-of-market game every day during the regular season:
In addition to one live MLB game every day, ESPN+ also has dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $6.99 per month.
Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $13.99 per month. Separately, the three streaming services would cost a total $20.97 per month, so you’re saving about 33 percent:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, out-of-market viewers can watch select MLB games live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Rays Season Preview 2022
Enormous expectations persist in Tampa Bay for the Rays this season. The Rays made the playoffs again last year after falling shy in the World Series in 2020. This year’s Rays expect to contend again.
“I think we’ve set the bar fairly high” Rays manager Kevin Cash according to Fox 13’s Kevin O’Donnell. “We’re not necessarily playing for the regular season. Saying that it’s pretty spectacular the way this team played all season long. It didn’t end the way we wanted that’s for sure. I think a lot of guys find the balance of not harboring it, but having it be a subtle reminder as we get going here.”
The Rays face a grueling AL East again. Boston, New York, and Toronto all look like playoff caliber teams. Tampa Bay won the division last year with a 100-62 mark but fell to the Boston Red Sox in the AL Division Series.
Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier believes the team can make another big run — perhaps further.
“It’s going to be a heck of a year, a lot of fun and we control our own destiny, so we’ll see what happens,” Kiermaier said per O’Donnell. “I like our chances.”
Projected Lineup
- Mike Zunino, C
- Yany Diaz, 1B
- Brandon Lowe, 2B
- Taylor Walls, 3B
- Wander Franco, SS
- Randy Arozarena, LF
- Kevin Kiermaier, CF
- Josh Lowe, RF
- Ji-Man Choi, DH
Bench: Francisco Mejia, Harold Ramirez, Manuel Margot, Brett Phillips
Projected Starting Rotation
- Shane McClanahan
- Corey Kluber
- Drew Rasmussen
- Luis Patino
- Ryan Yarbrough
Projected Bullpen
- Andrew Kittredge, closer
- Peter Fairbanks, closer
- J.P. Feyereisen, setup
- J.T. Chargois, reliever
- Matt Wisler, reliever
- Brooks Raley, reliever
- Jeffrey Springs, reliever
- Jalen Beeks, reliever
- Jason Adam, reliever
- Chris Mazza, reliever
- Nick Anderson, reliever
Projected lineups based on ESPN and CBS Sports