Injuries: Rays Place Outfielder Manuel Margot On Injured List With Hamstring Injury
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Manuel Margot tried to play through a hamstring injury the past two nights, but it didn't work. Playing the cautious card, Tampa Bay put the 27-year-old outfielder on the 10-day injured list on Sunday.
It's a big loss for the Rays, because he's been on fire in May. He's the reigning American League Player of the Week, and has hit safely in all 11 games that he's played in this month. He tweaked it on Monday in Anaheim, and sat out the games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
After returning home, he got treatment on the off day and was the designated hitter the past two nights against Toronto — he was a combined 3-for-6 and had a big hit in Friday's win — but he was careful in running the bases. In May, he is 18-for-37 — a .484 average — with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
The Rays called up reliever Ralph Garza Jr. to. take his spot on the roster. And it's likely that Harold Ramirez and rookie Vidal Brujan will see more time in the outfield during Margot's absence. Ramirez is playing right field on Sunday in the series finale against the Blue Jays.
The one benefit for the Rays is that they have two off days in the next 10 days, so Margot might miss just eight games. After Sunday's game, the Rays play three games with Detroit (11-23), then three at Baltimore (14-20) next weekend, and then have a two-game series at home against the Miami Marlins (15-18) on May 24-25. Margot is eligible to return on the 25th.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe, who was a healthy scratch on Saturday night, is back in the lineup on Sunday, too. He is leading off as the designated hitter on Sunday. The game starts at 1:40 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay is 20-14 on the season. Toronto is 18-16 and ended a five-game losing streak on Saturday when they beat Tampa Bay 5-1. The Rays won the opener on Friday night, winning 4-2.
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