Rays’ Steve Pearce, Mikie Mahtook headed to DL

Tuesday was not what you would call a “banner day” for the Rays, as they found out that outfielder Steve Pearce would be heading to the 15-day disabled list and rookie Mikie Mahtook had his hand broken after being hit by a pitch.

Pearce’s injury actually took place on Monday night as he was running to first base on a fly ball. He went into the classic “hamstring injury pose,” clutching the back of his leg and leaving the game. Pearce said the club had taken a “wait-and-see approach” in regards to the issue, and while he was able to walk on Tuesday, he was not at one hundred percent, prompting the move to the DL.

The thing is, Pearce is one of the generators powering the Rays’ offense. The 33-year-old is hitting .322 with a .933 OPS in 51 games, including 9 HR, 9 2B, and 20 BB.

The bad news continued as Mahtook took a Josh Tomlin pitch off his left hand. Thankfully, it was revealed that the resulting fracture would not require surgery. It was a broken hand that got Mahtook promoted to the big club in the first place, only in that instance the fracture had been incurred by Kevin Kiermaier, who Mahtook replaced. Since that time, he’s hit .154 in 65 AB, with 2 2B and 24 SO.

In response to this news, the Rays recalled infielder Nick Franklin and RHP Ryan Garton from their Triple-A affiliate in Durham.