Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/22/2026

Game Time: 7:05 pm ET, Friday, May 22, 2026

Venue:  Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +129, Yankees -156; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +125, Yankees -150; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +125, Yankees -155; Over/Under:  8 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  33-15 (1st place, AL East)

New York Yankees:  30-20 (2nd place, AL East)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  8-2 last 10

New York Yankees:  4-6 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 33-15 record overall and have a road record of 14-10. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Yankees on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .726 OPS. Steven Matz was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Nick Martinez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 5 hits through 6 IP against the Miami Marlins.

The Yankees lost their 3-game series against the New York Mets 2-1. They enter this game with a 30-20 record overall and have a home record of 16-7. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Toronto Blue Jays still to be played on Thursday. The Yankees won the 1st game of that series on Monday, won the 2nd game on Tuesday, and lost the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .759 OPS. Carlos Rodón is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Gerrit Cole is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA this season. He is making his season debut in this game after missing the last year with an injury.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 33-15 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 14-10 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Yankees have looked really good in their games this season with their 30-20 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL East. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 16-7 home record this season. The Yankees had a really hot start to the season, but they have cooled off now and no longer have the best record in their own division. They are only 4-6 in their last 10 games while the Rays have been rolling lately, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, and the Rays are currently the best team in the AL. The Yankees do have the better offense this season, but not by much, and the Rays are going to have one of their best starters on the mound here. The Rays are going with Martinez and he has looked great this year. He is 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA and the team has been having a ton of success with him lately. He is off another great start in which he gave up no runs, something that has been a common theme for him, and the team has won 4 of their last 5 games with him starting too. The Yankees are going with Cole in this one and he has been a great starter throughout the years, but he is also coming back from an injury and he isn't going to be at his best in this 1st start back in well over a year. Look for the Rays to take advantage of that with a better pitching matchup and continue rolling while the Yankees keep cooling off. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Rays Yankees Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, May 22, 2026 (7:05 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 Yankees 2.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 68-74 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 103-93 (+4.5 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8 to 8.5. 134-128 (+10.4 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 6-3 OVER vs. teams outscoring opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season.

New York Yankees: 228-166 (-14.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 117-80 (-15.9 units) on the moneyline in home games. 196-136 (-20.8 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 19-10 OVER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 62%).

Tampa Bay Rays:  Y. Diaz (DH) Day To Day - Hand. B. Williamson (2B) Ten Day IL - Back. C. Sulser (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. J. Fraley (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. M. Grove (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Wilson (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. G. Lux (LF) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

New York Yankees:  T. Grisham (CF) Day To Day - Undisclosed. M. Fried (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Caballero (SS) Ten Day IL - Finger. J. Dominguez (LF) Ten Day IL - Shoulder. G. Stanton (DH) Ten Day IL - Leg. A. Chivilli (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. G. Cole (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Schmidt (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“Jonny's probably the right guy to come up there with guys on base, game on the line. We've got a bunch of guys that are coming through in those moments right now. Things are going well.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Orioles in their game on Wednesday. 

“I think he’s looked outstanding. Forget about results or hitting for average. The quality of at-bat has been really good every day. Swing decisions. The baserunning’s been excellent. He’s played really well.” - Aaron Boone on Volpe over the last week. 

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Jonathan Aranda (L) DH

Ryan Vilade (R) 1B

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Jonny DeLuca (R) RF

Cedric Mullins (L) CF

Hunter Feduccia (L) C

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Ben Rice (L) DH

Aaron Judge (R) RF

Cody Bellinger (L) LF

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B

Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B

Trent Grisham (L) CF

Ryan McMahon (L) 3B

Anthony Volpe (R) SS

Austin Wells (L) C

Batting Average:  Yandy Díaz (.316)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (55)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (13)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (37)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (14)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (5)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (13)

ERA:  Nick Martinez (1.51)

Batting Average:  Ben Rice (.289)

Hits:  Cody Bellinger (48)

Home Runs:  Aaron Judge (16)

RBI:  Ben Rice (33)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (13)

Wins:  Cam Schlittler (6)

Saves:  David Bednar (11)

ERA:  Yovanny Cruz (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone (9th season)