Ben Zobrist Injury: Rays second baseman hurts thumb attempting steal of second base

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist dislocated his left thumb while attempting to steal second base on Wednesday, according to the Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney.

The incident occurred during the 5th inning, after David DeJesus struck out and the throw beat Zobrist to the bag. The Rays second baseman tried to evade the tag of Mariners shortstop Brad Miller, then immediately grabbed his thumb in pain after being called out.

According to Mooney's report, Zobrist will remain with the team for the time being, then be reevaluated when the Rays return to Tampa. Though the team isn't being specific about the extent of the injury, simply noting that Zobrist will miss "some time," it goes without saying that the outlook isn't great for him or the Rays.

Though Zobrist hasn't exactly been knocking the cover off the ball this season, putting together a .258/.352/.364 slash line, he's nevertheless proven to be an integral part of the Rays lineup. He's scored 24 runs, 10th in the AL, while hitting out of the leadoff and playing in 39 of the team's 41 games. He's also been a valuable defensive player, ranking 23rd in defense among all position players (according to FanGraphs) and third among second basemen.