Back to the future!

Reliever Kevin Jepsen is back with the Rays. Joe thinks this is a bit like selling a used T-shirt at a garage sale only to ask for it back a year later. But whatever.

At least Jepsen knows his way around the Trop. He threw 41 2/3 innings with Tampa Bay last year before he was shipped to Minnesota last July for a pair of minor-leaguers. He had a 2.81 ERA with five saves and 22 holds with the Rays. Last night, he pitched a scoreless night in the hair-pulling loss to the Orioles.

Jepsen was solid at times last year, but we’re not talking about the second coming of Mariano Rivera. Joe considers the acquisition a sign of how desperate the Rays are in the bullpen. All-Star Alex Colome is the lone dependable arm now. Erasmo Ramirez is gassed, and the rest of the names are a rag-tag group of inconsistency.

Problem is, Jepsen hasn’t been a lockdown presence lately. He had a 6.16 ERA in 30 2/3 innings with the Twins this year.

There’s not much here that inspires confidence.