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ST. PETERSBURG First sign that a season might be running into unexpected difficulties?

You find yourself missing Michael Wacha.

Seriously, the Rays did not even make it through the first turn of the rotation without adding the dreaded TBD next to the probable pitchers section for future games.

This isnt a crisis, but it is a reminder of just how ephemeral a teams pennant hopes can be. Starting pitching is actually a strength in Tampa Bay, and yet its already being tested in mid-April.

Shane Baz had minor elbow surgery before the season began, Ryan Yarbrough tweaked a groin muscle before his first start and Luis Patino had an oblique strain before finishing his first inning on Monday night. Next up? Rookies, relievers and rehabs.

Oh, Ill wager the Rays get through this unfortunate stretch. Even if they dont have many options beyond Tommy Romero for starting pitchers on the 40-man roster in Durham, theyve got the possibility of stretching out Josh Fleming and Jalen Beeks for bulk duty behind openers.

But for all their planning, all their precautions, all their depth, starting pitching is the one thing that can derail Tampa Bays postseason hopes quicker than anything else.

We know that because its what cost them last year in the playoffs.

Losing Tyler Glasnow at midseason was a blow that Tampa Bay absorbed through the 2021 regular season but could not survive in the American League Division Series against Boston.

With Glasnow gone and Wacha and Chris Archer turning into duds, the Rays were basically depending on a three-man rotation through the first four games. And those three pitchers had a combined 38 major-league starts between them.

Not so shockingly, they also had a 9.90 ERA in their 10 innings against the Red Sox in the ALDS.

Of course, were a long, long way from the 2022 postseason. Yarbroughs injury isnt considered that serious, and he could be back in the rotation by the end of next week.

But the Patino situation is concerning for a couple of reasons.

No. 1, the Rays were raving about Patinos growth in the first days of spring training. Still just 22 years old, there are people in the organization who believe his ceiling is higher than Shane McClanahans. So, yeah, thats a tough loss in the first week of the regular season.

No. 2, an oblique strain can be a nasty injury for a pitcher. Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty hurt his oblique last May, missed more than two months, came back for two starts and went down with a shoulder injury. Flaherty said this spring that the oblique caused him to change his mechanics, which led to the shoulder problem that still has him on the injured list in 2022.

Blue Jays reliever Julian Merryweather and Cubs reliever Rowan Wick both missed most of the 2021 season after having setbacks with oblique injuries.

The point is that the Rays are not likely to rush Patino back, which means an uncomfortable situation could get dire quickly if there are additional injuries in the rotation.

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For as much depth as the Rays have in their minor-league system, theyre growing a little thin with starting pitching. Go back to their Baseball America rankings from 2019, and the organizations top pitching prospects are either rehabbing (Baz, Brendan McKay and Colin Poche) or have been traded (Matthew Liberatore, Brent Honeywell and Joe Ryan).

McClanahan is the lone prospect from three years ago to have a spot in the current rotation.

That doesnt mean the cupboard is bare. Taj Bradley and Seth Johnson are both top prospects in the system, but neither has much experience above Class A and have not yet been added to the 40-man roster.

And none of this should be construed as a shortcoming on the Rays part. They may be a little thin at Triple-A, but thats because they dealt Liberatore for Randy Arozarena and Ryan for Nelson Cruz. Essentially, they used their pitching strength to supplement the offense each of the past two years.

Consequently, the Rays find themselves in a similar situation as some other contenders early this season. The White Sox, Mets and Cardinals are all dealing with starting pitcher shortages of one type or another.

So how serious is the situation?

Tampa Bay has been either first or second in the American League in ERA in each of the past three seasons, and I wouldnt be surprised if theyre near the top again in September.

But if you see another pitcher squatting on the mound in pain, you could be longing for the days of Wacha and Archer. Well, maybe not Archer.

John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.

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How did the Rays run out of starting pitching after four games? - Tampa Bay Times