Ryne Stanek Bio
Ryne Thomas Stanek (born July 26, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher. He has pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals. A first-round pick in the 2013 MLB draft, Stanek gained league-wide attention with the Rays for his pioneering use as an opener, a role in which he begins games before turning them over to the bullpen.
Stanek won a World Series championship with the Houston Astros in 2022, his most significant career accomplishment to date. Known for a power fastball that sits in the high 90s, he has built a long career as a late-inning reliever. He is married to Jessica Peet, and the couple has two children.
Early Life and Background
Ryne Thomas Stanek was born on July 26, 1991, and grew up in the Kansas City area. He attended Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, Kansas, where he quickly emerged as one of the top high school arms in the country. As a senior, Stanek posted a 5–1 win–loss record with a 0.72 earned run average (ERA) and 71 strikeouts, drawing national scouting attention.
Coming out of high school, Baseball America ranked him as the 42nd-best available player in the 2010 MLB draft. The Seattle Mariners selected him in the third round with the 99th overall pick, but Stanek did not sign, choosing instead to honor his college commitment. He is named after Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who was himself named after pitcher Rinold “Ryne” Duren.
Path to Baseball
Stanek enrolled at the University of Arkansas, where he played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. As a sophomore in 2012, he pitched to an 8–4 record with a 2.82 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 92⅔ innings, earning All-Tournament Team honors at the Houston College Classic. That summer, he played for the United States collegiate national team, helping the squad finish third at the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands.
Heading into his junior year, Stanek was named a pre-season All-American by Baseball America, Perfect Game, and Collegiate Baseball, and was chosen as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Pre-season Pitcher of the Year. He finished 2013 with a 10–2 record, a 1.39 ERA, and 79 strikeouts. Across his three collegiate seasons, he compiled a 22–8 record and a 2.55 ERA, cementing his status as a first-round talent.
Ryne Stanek Career
Early Career (2013–2016)
The Tampa Bay Rays selected Stanek with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft, and he signed for a $1,758,300 bonus. He did not pitch professionally right away, missing the start of the 2014 season after surgery on his right acetabular labrum. Stanek made his professional debut with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Single-A Midwest League on May 8, 2014, and later moved up to the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs.
In 2015, Stanek posted a combined 8–5 record with a 3.04 ERA between Charlotte and the Montgomery Biscuits of Double-A. The following year, he split time between Montgomery and the Durham Bulls of Triple-A, going 4–10 with a 4.30 ERA, and was named to the 2016 All-Star Futures Game. The Rays added him to the 40-man roster after that season.
Tampa Bay Rays Era (2017–2019)
The Rays promoted Stanek to the majors on May 13, 2017, and he made his MLB debut the next day. After a 5.85 ERA in 21 appearances, he returned in 2018 and broke out in a new role. Manager Kevin Cash used Stanek as the club’s primary opener, deploying his high-90s fastball and newly developed splitter to log short, effective bursts at the start of games.
In June 2018, Stanek set an MLB record by throwing seven consecutive scoreless opening frames, covering only 9⅔ total innings. He also set a major league record with 17 straight starts allowing one run or fewer. On September 5, 2018, he became the first rookie in 75 years to start in back-to-back games, finishing the year with a 2.98 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 66⅓ innings across 59 appearances. The Rays continued to use him as an opener in 2019 before trading him at the deadline.
Miami Marlins Era (2019–2020)
On July 31, 2019, the Rays traded Stanek and Jesús Sánchez to the Miami Marlins for pitchers Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards. He transitioned to a more traditional relief role in Miami. On August 4, 2020, Stanek was placed on the injured list after contracting COVID-19, returning a month later on September 4.
In the shortened 2020 regular season, Stanek posted a 7.20 ERA in nine relief appearances. He also pitched two scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. The Marlins non-tendered him on December 2, 2020, making him a free agent.
Houston Astros Era (2021–2023)
Stanek signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Houston Astros on January 7, 2021. He responded with a 3–5 record, two saves, and a 3.42 ERA across 72 relief appearances. The following offseason, he agreed to a $2.1 million deal for 2022 and enjoyed the best season of his career, posting a 2–1 record with a 1.15 ERA in 54⅔ innings over 59 relief appearances, a single-season franchise record for Astros relievers.
The Astros won the 2022 World Series, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies to give Stanek his first career championship. He threw four scoreless innings in the postseason. On January 13, 2023, Stanek signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract to remain in Houston. In 55 games that year, he posted a 4.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 50⅔ innings.
Seattle Mariners and New York Mets Era (2024–2025)
Stanek signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Seattle Mariners on March 10, 2024. He went 6–3 with seven saves and a 4.38 ERA in 39 innings across 46 appearances before the Mariners traded him to the New York Mets on July 26, 2024, in exchange for minor league prospect Rhylan Thomas. In 17 regular-season games for the Mets, he posted a 6.06 ERA, but he was sharper in the postseason with a 3.38 ERA.
On January 30, 2025, Stanek re-signed with the Mets on a one-year, $4.5 million contract. He made 65 appearances for New York, going 4–6 with a 5.30 ERA, 58 strikeouts, and three saves across 56 innings.
St. Louis Cardinals Era (2026–Present)
On January 13, 2026, Stanek signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned a save on Opening Day, then recorded a blown save and a win in the third game of the season. He did not pitch in another save situation for the remainder of April.
Driving Style and Strengths
Stanek is a power reliever whose four-seam fastball consistently sits in the high 90s and occasionally touches the low 100s. He complements the heater with a high-80s slider and a splitter in the high 80s to low 90s. In 2024, he added a mid-90s sinker, and in 2025 he introduced a sweeper to give hitters a different look late in counts.
Notable Events and Milestones
Stanek’s most defining stretch came in 2018, when his record-setting run of scoreless opener innings helped popularize the role across MLB. He captured a World Series ring with the Astros in 2022, and he set the Houston franchise’s single-season ERA mark for relievers that same year.
Ryne Stanek Career Wins
Stanek’s career has been built less on traditional win totals than on high-leverage relief work, late-inning success, and a championship ring. His most celebrated stretch came with the Astros, where he anchored the late innings during the 2022 World Series run.
MLB Highlights
Stanek’s MLB tenure began with a Rays debut on May 14, 2017, and includes stops in Tampa Bay, Miami, Houston, Seattle, New York, and St. Louis. His 2022 season with the Astros stands out, when he finished with a 2–1 record, a 1.15 ERA, and a World Series title. He has also collected multiple saves in each of his seasons as a late-inning reliever.
Other Wins & Performances
At the amateur level, Stanek was a third-round pick out of high school in 2010 before becoming a first-round selection in 2013. He represented the United States at the 2012 Haarlem Baseball Week and was named to the 2016 All-Star Futures Game. As a collegian at Arkansas, he earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors and was a pre-season All-American.
Ryne Stanek Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Stanek comes from a supportive family in the Kansas City area that backed his early baseball development. He carries a notable baseball name, having been named after Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who was himself named after pitcher Rinold “Ryne” Duren.
Personal Life
Stanek is married to Jessica Peet, a contestant on the reality competition series Survivor: David vs Goliath. The couple has two children.
2025 Season Performance
Stanek spent the 2025 season back with the New York Mets after re-signing on a one-year, $4.5 million deal in January. Used primarily in a late-inning relief role, he appeared in 65 games and finished the year with a 4–6 record, three saves, a 5.30 ERA, and 58 strikeouts in 56 innings.
His midseason work included stretches of high-leverage outs, though he also dealt with inconsistency against right-handed power hitters. The addition of a sweeper in 2025 gave him a new look against opposite-handed bats, an adjustment that factored into the Mets’ bullpen planning down the stretch.
Stanek entered free agency after the 2025 campaign, and his 2025 usage with the Mets helped set the stage for his January 2026 signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. The one-year, $3.5 million contract with St. Louis offered him a fresh opportunity to reset his late-inning profile.
