Kevin Cash’s bromance with Blake Snell is real.

It’s no shock that Snell’s dashing major-league debut last Saturday left an impression on the Rays’ skipper. Snell looked much older than his 23 years when fanning six with just one run and two hits allowed in five innings during a no-decision against the Yanks. The left-hander, basically Tampa Bay’s Opie, was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Turns out, Cash is counting the hours until the youngster slides back into the rotation. When speaking Tuesday on 620-WDAE, Cash gave a big verbal smooch to the rising star.

“I was at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon today, and somebody asked about Blake Snell, when is he coming back up, and I wish I was saying tomorrow,” Cash said. “He was outstanding. And what a credit to Blake, our development system, everybody that has kind of helped him along – but especially himself. … He’ll be here soon enough. It’s good for us that we’ve just got a lot of tough decisions, because we’ve got great starting pitching.”

Joe is excited about Snell’s potential, but there’s no sense rushing him back to the big leagues until the time is right.

Erasmo Ramirez is more than capable of handling the fifth-starter duties. Let the young guy grow without veteran batters staring him down in hopes of running his confidence through a blender.

Cash is right: Snell will tease the Trop with his talent soon enough. But that time isn’t now.