The Tampa Bay Rays entered Saturday up a half-game on the New York Yankees in the American League East. If the Rays are to maintain that lead, they'll have to do so without right-hander Tyler Glasnow -- at least for a while. Glasnow, who left Friday night's start after suffering an apparent arm injury, will miss four-to-six weeks due to a mild forearm strain:
We've activated Travis d'Arnaud, and recalled Andrew Velazquez from Durham.
— Tampa Bay Devil Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 11, 2019
Nick Ciuffo has been optioned to Durham, and Tyler Glasnow has been placed on the 10-day IL.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/2Kpu4PSa23
#Rays say Glasnow expected to miss 4-6 weeks
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 11, 2019
Glasnow had been a dominant force in 2019. Through eight starts he'd averaged six innings per pop while striking out 46 more batters than he'd walked. Glasnow had a 229 ERA+ -- the best mark in the AL and fourth best in the majors.
It's not immediately apparent whom the Rays will plug into Glasnow's place, but the odds-on favorite would seem to be Ryan Yarbrough. For the time being, the Rays recalled utilityman Andrew Velasquez to provide an extra bat off the bench.
Of course, the Rays probably won't receive much sympathy from the Yankees. Tampa Bay entered Saturday having lost 231 days to injury; the Yankees entered the day having lost a majors-leading 520 days to the shelf. The two will continue their series on Saturday night.
