In 87 minor league appearances over four seasons, Ryan Yarbrough pitched in relief all of four times.
And now he’s doing it full time at the game’s highest level.
The 26-year-old left-hander who starred at Old Dominion made his major league debut in relief for the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Boston Red Sox on March 31.
The change in job description, which began in earnest during spring training, has not affected him adversely.
“They kind of knew I had a really good routine and had some success as a starter,” Yarbrough said recently from Boston as he prepared to board the Rays’ airport-bound team bus outside Fenway Park.