Mahtook initially stayed in the game after being hit by a Josh Tomlin fastball in the second inning, yet he was pinched in favor of Taylor Motter in the bottom of the third inning. He departs for St. Petersburg to be evaluated by team orthopedist Dr. Doug Carlan on Tuesday.
The injury bug has hit the Rays outfield particularly hard, as Mahtook joins Kevin Kiermaier (fractured hand), Brandon Guyer (strained left hamstring), and Steven Souza Jr. (strained left hip) on the disabled list. Neither Guyer nor Souza are expected back until the middle-to-end of the next homestand (June 27 – July 7), and as Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) reasoned, if Mahtook is on a similar schedule as Kiermaier, he could return in late August or September.
Adding insult to injury, DH/1B Steve Pearce sustained a hamstring injury in the ninth inning of the ballgame. Pearce grabbed his hamstring on the way up the line, as he ran out a fly ball to center, in his last at-bat of the night. He had to be helped off the field, and it’s not certain how severe the injury is or if it will require a stint on the DL. Pearce told reporters he felt “a hard grab,” but not a pop, and expects the team will wait a few days before deciding on roster move or not.
Between Mahtook and Pearce, the Rays could have two players shelved in the next few days.
Among the internal options not on the 40-man roster are Johnny Field, Dayron Varona, and Jake Goebbert. However, there is a caveat: the Rays would either have to place Kiermaier on the 60-day DL, or move a player off the 40-man roster in order to promote any of the three.
Among internal options on the 40-man roster are Richie Shaffer, Nick Franklin, and Luke Maile — all of which have big league experience.
…And, let the Carl Crawford rumors commence.
The Rays have at least some interest in a reunion with Carl Crawford. From our @justin_klugh: https://t.co/yU6AjiX5hY
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) June 20, 2016
#Rays‘ interest in Crawford reunion likely will increase if Pearce down for more than a few days because of hamstring. Need healthy OFers.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 21, 2016
Whatever the case, the team will have more information by the end of Monday night or Tuesday morning. I’ll update this piece as the news unfolds.
6/21/16 Update (12:45 PM): The Tampa Bay Rays have recalled INF/OF Nick Franklin from the Durham Bulls, and placed OF Mikie Mahtook on the 15-day DL (hand). The plan for is for Taylor Motter to spend more time in the outfield, so Franklin joins Tim Beckham as infield/bench depth. The other issue for the Rays is how long Steve Pearce will be on the shelf due to his hamstring issue — the initial plan is to give him a few days before they make another roster decision.
6/21/16 Update (4:10 PM): The Rays have announced that Steve Pearce has been placed on the 15-day DL with a right strained hamstring. Ryan Garton has been recalled, giving team an eight-man bullpen for the time being. Pearce is headed back to St. Petersburg for an MRI with Dr. Coco Eaton and a possible cortisone shot. He likely will miss at least three weeks.