DJ Johnson collapsed in pain in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game in Baltimore.

While the hertz meter was off the charts for the Tampa Bay Rays, who came back for the 35th time this season en route to a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, the team incurred yet another pitching injury.

Right-hander DJ Johnson, a recent acquisition for Tampa Bay, collapsed on the mound after sailing a pitch to the backstop in the sixth inning. He was removed from the game after suffering what the team called right shoulder discomfort. Rays skipper Kevin Cash said that Johnson felt something “crack” in his shoulder after he threw the pitch, and he is being sent back to St. Petersburg for further evaluation. Johnson recorded two outs without allowing a baserunner before the injury.

An extended absence for Johnson will put more pressure on a Tampa Bay bullpen that is already stretched due to the injury bug. The Rays are currently without Pete Fairbanks (right shoulder inflammation), J.P. Feyereisen (right shoulder discomfort), and Nick Anderson (right elbow sprain), although Collin McHugh (right shoulder fatigue) returned from the IL on Saturday.

We have depth, but we are concerned about every single one of our injuries. They are gut-wrenching when they happen. We need some of the guys to get back from the IL. We’re trending in the right direction and fully trust that we have capable arms in Triple-A that can hold the fort down.

— Kevin Cash

Chris Mazza, Louis Head, and Brent Honeywell Jr. are all available on the 40-man roster should a roster move be necessary.

In 2.2 innings since being acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, Johnson has held eight of the nine batters he faced hitless while striking out two and walking none.

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