The Rays announced Thursday that right-hander Shane Baz has been placed on the 15-day injured list after being diagnosed with a sprained right elbow. Baz felt discomfort while playing catch this week. He was evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister, received an injection, and will be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks. Righty Luke Bard is up from Triple-A Durham in his place.
It’s the second unfortunate bit of pitching news the Rays have gotten in the past 24 hours, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that lefty Josh Fleming could be out as long as six weeks due to an oblique strain. It’s a Grade 1 strain, which is the least-severe, but it Topkin notes that it was bad enough that doctors nearly termed it a Grade 2. Fleming won’t throw for the next two to three weeks and will need to build back up after that point.
It’s a brutal day of news for an already injury-ravaged Rays roster. Baz missed the first two months of the season following an arthroscopic procedure on his right elbow back in Spring Training. The righty, who was recently ranked as the game’s No. 2 overall prospect on Baseball America’s latest Top 100 list, returned from that injury and made five starts with a 2.92 ERA before being shelled for seven runs in a July 10 start in Cincinnati.
In addition to Baz and Fleming, the Rays are without Tyler Glasnow (2021 Tommy John surgery), Yonny Chirinos (2021 elbow fracture), Brendan McKay (2021 thoracic outlet surgery), Luis Patino (strained oblique) and Jeffrey Springs (leg injury). That septet would make up a potentially strong big league rotation on its own, were they healthy.
With those seven sidelined, however, Tampa Bay will lean heavily on ace and American League Cy Young favorite Shane McClanahan, veteran righty Corey Kluber and up-and-coming right-hander Drew Rasmussen for the foreseeable future. Lefty Ryan Yarbrough will likely be recalled from Durham this weekend to help cover some innings, and the Rays have already recalled right-hander Tommy Romero, who could also step into the big league rotation.
The Rays, in addition to that litany of rotation injuries, are also without catcher Mike Zunino, second baseman Brandon Lowe, shortstop Wander Franco, outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and Manuel Margot, and five relievers (Nick Anderson, J.P. Feyereisen, Andrew Kittredge, Pete Fairbanks, JT Chargois). It’s a mammoth spate of injuries, with several of the team’s best players sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Even with the miserable luck on the health front this year, however, Tampa Bay is eight games above .500 and squarely in possession of the top Wild Card spot in the American League. There’s little to no hope that they’ll run down the Yankees, who boast a massive 14-game lead over the second-place Rays, but Tampa Bay’s current standing makes them a candidate to tap into the trade market for some reinforcements, be they on the pitching front or at any number of suddenly thin spots in the lineup.
As for Baz, the hope will be that a four-week shutdown provides sufficient healing. That said, a sprain — by definition — involves some degree of stretching or tearing in an elbow ligament, which obviously brings about concern of a more grim long-term outlook. Since we’re already midway through July, there’s little harm in Baz taking a rest-and-rehab approach for the time being. Even in a worst-case scenario that saw him require Tommy John surgery, he’d likely be out for the entire 2023 season at this point. The Rays, to be clear, have not indicated that such an outcome is on the table, but elbow sprains are often an unfortunate portent for surgery of some degree.
Trade for a pitcher. Please, pretty please
Montass
Martin Perez
Maybe the Rays will bring back Eovaldi or Wacha or Hill.
Would be smart to get Dr. Andrews on speed dial…Just for the inevitable
I am sure they do…… unfortunately…………..
This is sad kid could be a stud
Damn dudes a baller
Damn Rays just cannot stay healthy
Cmac – And yet there are some so-called Red Sox fans whining about their own team’s injuries.
Imagine where the Sox would be without Devers, Vazquez, JD and Verdugo.
Lmao
You root for players to be hurt? What a great guy (eyeroll)!
What is more sad, this comment or that someone liked it?
Just because you are a loser who never has and never will accomplish anything stop being jealous of your betters
As bad as the awful Archer trade was for Pittsburgh, it gets more and more tolerable every year. Meadows has moved on and is average, Glasgow got better but is always hurt and now Baz is looking more and more questionable for the future.
Turned Meadows into Parades, Glasnow got horribly unlucky with the sticky stuff crackdown so he isn’t “always hurt” and Baz is just having an unlucky year, dearest couch sitter.
Glasnow missed most of 2019 with forearm issues. He blamed the sticky stuff but the arm troubles had already started., He was originally diagnosed with an elbow sprain before getting the news that he was going to need TJ surgery. Who knows what he will be like when he comes back. I hope Baz is not serious but getting an elbow sprain just from playing catch is not a really good sign.
Pirates are no longer burdened with the expectations of glasnow and baz.
This is an interesting point. Purely based on talent, it was an awful trade. And based on production to date, it was pretty bad—Meadows had a couple of big seasons, Glasnow was an ace for a little while, and Baz still isn’t adone for. Meanwhile, Archer mostly struggled in Pittsburgh.
BUT, at the end of the day, the Rays aren’t actually winning division titles and World Series trophies on the backs of those three. And it would be a lot of anguish for Pirates fans to watch the three of them break down all the time, which would be followed by hindsight grievances of “we should’ve traded them when they had value!”
Archer had injuries in 2019 as well including thoratic outlet surgery. Meadows had a huge start to 2019 then was average. Started getting platooned in Tampa then got traded and somehow injured both Achilles at the same time. Fearing for Baz and his elbow as well. Could go down as the weirdest trade ever based on all of the injuries to all involved.
Pirate fans who actually follow the Pirates knew the reasons for the trade.The only question that I had was did they need to include Baz.
What no one remembers is that Archer had multiple injuries also.Yes,he was over rated by NH.I knew that when he said that a major reason for the trade was for the long term control of Archer.But NH wanted to complete the starting pitching staff which is necessary to go deep into the playoffs.
But many posters on her were calling it the worst trade of all time.They do not read enough to remember Babe Ruth and Frank Robinson.
Archer was considered the top starter available at the 2018 deadline. Multiple teams were in on him. Glasnow had control issues and could not get guys out even with is amazing stuff. The Bucs also had Reynolds. I even pointed out in 2018 that Reynolds was the reason why they could include Meadows in the trade. I was laughed at. Meadows had the tremendous start to 2019 and had been pretty much average since. Reynolds had an ugly 2020 short season but has been great in 2019, 21 and was doing great till the injury this week. Will see if he comes back good. Baz had major control issues when he got traded.
You are right that Baz was really the only question at the time of the trade because of his pedigree but he had was still a rookie to pro ball, Who knew that all 4 would have injury issues. 3 very serious and it is still unknow how bad Baz is right now. He could be fine or he could be heading for TJ Surgery.
They did trade them when they had value. They just didn’t trade them for value back.
They traded them for value back.It was the classic young players for veteran that are quite often the design behind trades.Archer got hurt just like the others.I think that any 3 for 1 trade can be problematic,but the Pirates were willing to take that chance to give them a chance to at least into the playoffs where they thought any hot team could get to the WS.
It went against their normal rationale and ended up hurting them.But at least they went for it.
Archer was considered value at the time of the trade. Was considered the top starter on the market at the 2018. Trade deadline. Just as no one saw Glasnow and Meadows come out of the gate strong in 2019 and Baz start out great until the last 2 1/3 of the 40 1/3 innings that he pitched so far. at the time of the trade, no one saw Glasnow only able to pitch 261 2/3 innings since the 2018 trade and spend much of his time in Tampa on the IL., Meadows falling off after his outstanding first 1/3 of his 2019 season to average to being platooned much of the time after and being already traded to Detroit where he has spent much of the season thus far on the IL, now with dual Achilles injuries, and Baz now in the IL with a potentially significant injury..
Archer for his part started off decent then had multiple stints on on the il culminating with Thoratic Outlet Surgery. No one saw that at the trade either.
I mean, the good years Tampa got out of Meadows happened, and now they’ve turned him into another asset.
Lol sure. Wanna make another similar trade? It’s funny how shortsighted the typical fan is. Baz is 23! Yet some want to consider his future murky??? Two rough starts this year. Meadows hit well for TB–not for Pitt–and we picked up our leading HR guy for this year…and he is only 23. Glas has been injured, but tell
Me you don’t want his future. MLB is littered w former Pirates who excelled elsewhere.
But sure. Pirates did fine lololol.
One does know the future. Meadows hit really well for the 1st 1/3 of 2019 then has been average since. Good trade so far for the Rays to move him to Detroit. Baz has been on the IL for much of the time he has been in Tampa. He only has pitched 261 1/3 innings since the trade in July 2018. Don’t know how he will come back from the TJ surgery.. Time will tell. Baz is a little murky to the fans due to his arm issues. Had his elbow scoped, pitched 40 innings so far and has an elbow sprain after playing catch. That was the same initial diagnosis for Glasnow before it was discovered that he needed TJ surgery. To us, it is murky because we do not have all of the info on is issues. He could be fine or he could have serious elbow trouble. No one is saying that the Bucs did fine but it turns out that they would have been in trouble if they did keep all three if nothing else because of their health.
He never said the Pirates did fine, just that it’s more tolerable.
MLB-What is funny is that a typical poster on here only wants to say what is in their head not what is written or historical or considered in an even handed manner based on thorough knowledge.
Though as a veteran poster you probably know that by now.
Yeah, no Pirates fan ever wants to do that trade over again, but lets look at the facts:
Tyler Glasnow has topped 100 innings one time in six MLB seasons. The most starts he’s made is 14. He’s almost 29 now and hasn’t pitched in over a year.
Meadows has a 106 wRC+, +1.2 fWAR, and .734 OPS since 2020. The athleticism he displayed in the minor leagues when he was a prospect with the Pirates is not there anymore. He can play a good enough left field, but also has played a decent bit of DH
Baz, the guy that hurt the most in that trade if you asked me, might under go tommy john. If that happens, he’ll miss the rest of this year and most of next year.
Tolerable=/=fine or good trade
MLB- But what would have happened if Archer had not gotten hurt and pitched like he had earlier in his career?
Do you think that the Pirates would have picked up his option and the Rays could not have signed him for $6M like they did last year?
Who would have won the trade then?
It always amuses me when these Monday morning quarterbacks think that they could be a GM who do not have the benefit of hindsight or how well a player will do by changing organizations or getting new coaching.
If that was the only bad Pirate trade they’d be a WS contender right now.
Are the Pirates the only team with bad trades?
Who did they lose recently that would make up for 25-30 wins a year?
It still wasn’t a good trade, but you’re not wrong. Glasnow has pitched more than 100 innings one time in his career and now he’s 29. Baz could miss the rest of this year and most of next year if he happens to undergo the dreaded TJ surgery.
We’ll trade a rarely used Snellzilla for Patiño and Wilcox!
That Tampa Bay training staff has to be getting awfully nervous.
They need a new training/medical stuff. The current stuff are hacks and quacks. THIS IS A YEARLY OCCURANCE!
Pitchers getting hurt are a yearly occurance for all 30 teams because nobody wants to work on locating secondary pitches on the edges anymore. The numbers tell them they’re better off trying to jam someone with 99MPH in on the hands.
Ugh. Tough year for Baz
The “well that trade wasn’t so lopsided” people make me laugh. I get it, you still wish you weren’t a Pirate fan. Sorry!
Baz is young. Paredes is young. Glas has filthy stuff and will be back. How did Arch do for you again?
Just because Baz is young does not mean he will be fine if his elbow does not hold.
You don’t know if Glasnow will be the same when he comes back.
Meadows was the piece lost by the Pirates and not Paredes., Great trade from a very small sample size so far. as Meadows had vertigo issues then somehow hurt both Achilles at the same time now.
Archer had injuries starting early in 2019 and ended up with needed Thoratic Outlet Surgery and was done for the Pirates.
All four players are dealing with significant injuries.
Sideline-Baz was hurt playing catch.Not a good omen.
Is Paredes another Willie Mays..Only time will tell.
Meadows’ name has been dropped by the HOF committee as a number of posters in 2019 had wanted him on it well before he retired.
Glasnow was the loudest voice in complaining about the sticky stuff.Did the Rays have a much bigger cache of it than the Pirates?Are they even going to sign Glasnow?
Archer had serious injuries after the trade.If he did not,and pitched as well as he did when he was young,would this trade been viewed by you as the worst of all time?For the Rays,not the Pirates?
This is a classic case of Monday morning quarterback.It does not take a brain surgeon to know that the Rays won it,so I salute you for your mental and eyesight acuity.
But the worst trade of all time? Give me a break.
Glasnow has 206 innings pitched in the last three seasons. Meadows has 1 season in five years with an OPS above .800. If Baz undergoes Tommy John surgery, he won’t be back until late 2023 at the earliest. Yeah, the Rays won the trade, but I can name at least a dozen more trades in the last 15-18 years that were worse.
Seen an article by Mayo (or maybe it was Callis) about how like 10 potential 1st round picks are needing surgery. These are kids I’m talking 18 and 19 throwing their elbows and shoulders out trying to throw 100MPH! Anybody else think this is becoming a problem? Greg Maddux paint jobs are just as electric to watch so why are we letting children throw as hard as possible instead of honing their skills. If you have 98 in your back pocket great, use it sparingly to get out of jams. I find it troubling and sad that we can’t even expect a young draft class to get to the major leagues before needing TJ surgery anymore.
I think it’s the breaking stuff at such a young age than the velocity. Look at what some kids are throwing. You have Dylan Lesko needing Tommy John surgery already and he has an air-bending change-up. Connor Prielipp has one of the best sliders in this year’s draft, Tommy John surgery. Peyton Pallette, one of the best curveballs in the draft? TJ victim. You’re not supposed to put that much torque on your arm at such a young age when you’re still developing. Sure, the velocity isn’t helping, but the bigger issue is the big breaking stuff early.
…..and Kevin Cash still has this team in the hunt for the playoffs. Remarkable job.
It’s not all Cash, by any means, but yes the Rays do a remarkable job.
Could see Kevin Herget against the Orioles the way this is going. Maybe behind an opener?