Cole Wilcox Gets The Call To The Major Leagues
September 17, 2025 | Baseball
ATHENS, GA.-----The Tampa Bay Rays have selected the contract of former University of Georgia standout pitcher Cole Wilcox from Triple-A Durham, per a team announcement Wednesday.Â
A 6-5, 232-pound native of Chickamauga, Ga., will make his major-league debut the first time he gets into a game.
The 26-year-old right-hander went to Spring Training with the Rays and made five relief appearances for a total of 2.2 innings. This year, he was employed as a reliever after working as a starter his first few professional seasons. He began the year in Double-A with the Montgomery Biscuits before being promoted to Triple-A and the Durham Bulls in April. With the Bulls, he was 2-5 with a 3.71 ERA and two saves across 34 games. In 51 innings, he tallied 57 strikeouts and 24 walks. Opponents posted a .234 batting average against him. His 2021 and 2022 seasons were limited due to Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation.
As a draft-eligible sophomore in 2020, Wilcox was a third-round selection of the San Diego Padres and received a record bonus at the time for a third-round pick. In late December of 2020, he was one of four Padres traded to Tampa Bay for pitcher Blake Snell. He is the only player still in the organization from that trade. Currently, the Rays are 73-78.
Wilcox and the second-ranked Bulldogs were off to a tremendous start in 2020 when the season was cut short due to COVID-19. The Bulldog rotation also featured future Major Leaguers Emerson Hancock (Seattle Mariners) and Jonathan Cannon (Chicago White Sox). That year, Wilcox was 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA over four starts and had 32 strikeouts to just two walks in 23 innings when the season ended after 18 games due to the pandemic.
In 2019 with the Bulldogs, Wilcox earned Freshman All-SEC honors as voted on by the league coaches after going 3-2 with one save in 19 games including six starts. He posted 64 strikeouts over 59.2 innings and held opponents to a .216 average. He received an invitation to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team summer camp and made the 26-man travel roster. He finished with a 2.57 ERA over four outings, including one start. Wilcox earned a win over Cuba and was part of a combined one-hit shutout of Japan.
Wilcox becomes the 44th former Bulldog to reach the Major Leagues. This season, Hancock, Cannon and infielders Kyle Farmer (Minnesota Twins) and Aaron Schunk (Colorado Rockies) have seen action in the majors.     Â
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
Â
A 6-5, 232-pound native of Chickamauga, Ga., will make his major-league debut the first time he gets into a game.
The 26-year-old right-hander went to Spring Training with the Rays and made five relief appearances for a total of 2.2 innings. This year, he was employed as a reliever after working as a starter his first few professional seasons. He began the year in Double-A with the Montgomery Biscuits before being promoted to Triple-A and the Durham Bulls in April. With the Bulls, he was 2-5 with a 3.71 ERA and two saves across 34 games. In 51 innings, he tallied 57 strikeouts and 24 walks. Opponents posted a .234 batting average against him. His 2021 and 2022 seasons were limited due to Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation.
As a draft-eligible sophomore in 2020, Wilcox was a third-round selection of the San Diego Padres and received a record bonus at the time for a third-round pick. In late December of 2020, he was one of four Padres traded to Tampa Bay for pitcher Blake Snell. He is the only player still in the organization from that trade. Currently, the Rays are 73-78.
Wilcox and the second-ranked Bulldogs were off to a tremendous start in 2020 when the season was cut short due to COVID-19. The Bulldog rotation also featured future Major Leaguers Emerson Hancock (Seattle Mariners) and Jonathan Cannon (Chicago White Sox). That year, Wilcox was 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA over four starts and had 32 strikeouts to just two walks in 23 innings when the season ended after 18 games due to the pandemic.
In 2019 with the Bulldogs, Wilcox earned Freshman All-SEC honors as voted on by the league coaches after going 3-2 with one save in 19 games including six starts. He posted 64 strikeouts over 59.2 innings and held opponents to a .216 average. He received an invitation to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team summer camp and made the 26-man travel roster. He finished with a 2.57 ERA over four outings, including one start. Wilcox earned a win over Cuba and was part of a combined one-hit shutout of Japan.
Wilcox becomes the 44th former Bulldog to reach the Major Leagues. This season, Hancock, Cannon and infielders Kyle Farmer (Minnesota Twins) and Aaron Schunk (Colorado Rockies) have seen action in the majors.     Â
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
Â
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Oklahoma State - Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, June 01
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Duke - Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, May 31
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Binghamton - TV Highlights
Friday, May 30
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Binghamton - Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 30
