Kayleigh McEnany, wife of Rays pitcher signed to minor league deal, named White House Press Secretary

One of the many pitchers in Rays camp this year was veteran reliever Sean Gilmartin, who most recently had a successful stint with the Orioles in 2018 with a 3.00 ERA over 27.0 IP. He also made one appearance in 2019, as an Opener.

Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Gilmartin was not expected to make the Opening Day roster, but has stayed in the public conscious thanks to his wife’s high profile role in the re-election campaign for President Trump (formally the National Press Secretary for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign).

Today that profile has risen higher, as Gilmartin’s wife — Kayleigh McEnany — has been named the new Press Secretary at the White House.

The previous Press Secretary failed to brief the press during her stint in the once-prominent political position. It remains to be seen if McEnany will be a public face of the White House as previous Press Secretaries have been. Prior to joining the re-election campaign, McEnany was a regular Trump surrogate in televised interviews.

In a recent televised appearance McEnany infamously claimed, “We will not see diseases like the coronavirus come here [to the United States],” likening the administration’s ability to repel the disease to its defense against international terrorist threats.

Per the New York Times, “Her hiring is the first major personnel move by the incoming White House chief of staff, former Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina.”

Sean Gilmartin has a career 4.18 ERA with 85 K and 39 BB dating back to 2015 over 107.2 IP. Gilmartin had 16 K’s and 13 BB’s in his 29.1 IP for the Orioles. A southpaw, who notably pitched for Florida State, he made four appearances in Spring Training for the Rays, with 10 H, 3 K, and 4 ER.