Mason Montgomery, a sixth-round pick of the Rays in 2021, is in the same situation as Brandon Lowe where he's still getting acclimated to a new environment after spending a number of years with the only organization he's ever known. 

Following the Pirates' 5-1 loss to the Twins here today at Hammond Stadium, a game in which Montgomery struck out two batters with his slider in a scoreless fifth inning, he told me that the transition is going well, and that he's set on contributing with a simplistic approach. 

"I'm just trying to continue to throw the ball over the plate and get outs, it's pretty simple," Montgomery said. "I'm not necessarily trying to prove anything. I'm just going out there, throwing and trying to compete the best I can." 

There seems to be four locks within the bullpen -- Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Isaac Mattson and Justin Lawrence -- leaving a few more left to fight over. Montgomery is in that mix as another left-handed option that could complement Soto. He's coming off a season in which he made 57 big-league appearances with the Rays, striking out 63 batters in his 46 innings. He's a hard-throwing lefty who averaged around 97 mph with his fastball here today, but there are question marks surrounding his ability to harness that velocity, as he walked 27 batters -- good for a 12.9% walk rate that ranked in the third percentile -- and saw opponents bat .277. This spring, Montgomery's made six appearances, striking out nine batters and walking three. He's given up six hits, but he's allowed one run over his last 5 1/3 innings. 

"I think it's in a good spot right now," Montgomery said regarding his command. "Each outing is gonna be a little different, but minimizing walks is gonna be a big thing for me. As long as I can just attack, stay aggressive in the zone and force some weak contact, I think I'll be all right."