Rays place Drew Smyly on disabled list with shoulder soreness

Tampa Bay cannot catch a break. The Rays have been plagued by injuries early this season, and according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Tribune, the club has placed Drew Smyly on the disabled list with left shoulder soreness.

Smyly has pitched notably well since initially being activated from the disabled list. Six of the Rays' top ten pitchers are now on the disabled list, with both Alex Cobb and Burch Smith done for the season.

Although the Rays were hoping to work around Smyly's injury, his history resulted in the club opting to place him on the DL with hopes of activating him as soon as he becomes eligible. The 25-year old lefty has posted a 2.79 ERA and 4.29 FIP in 16.2 innings pitched to this point in 2015.

Smyly did not make many Grapefruit League appearances this spring as a result of tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Tampa Bay subsequently placed him on the disabled list and Smyly ultimately missed four starts before he was activated for the first time.

When he returned on April 24, Smyly upgraded a rotation that had already been affected by other injuries. Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, and Nathan Karns anchored the Rays' rotation and the return of Smyly added depth. Mooney adds Smyly pitched well enough to win each of the three starts he has made since returning and said he was having difficulty warming up and getting loose before his last start against the Red Sox on May 5.

Smyly is a consistent left-handed option who posted a 3.24 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 153.0 innings in 2014.

Matt Moore threw batting practice on Friday and Matt Andriese will start in Odorizzi's place tonight with Odorizzi out with the flu. The Rays' have not been able to utilize the same set of starters yet this season, and as a result, the club could pursue starting pitching options before the trading deadline.