Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier left in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS Tuesday night after being hit by a pitch, as first noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Right fielder Manuel Margot moved to center, with Hunter Renfroe coming off the bench to play right.
X-rays on Kiermaier’s wrist came back negative, per Topkin and Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). He has been diagnosed with a contusion.
Kiermaier took a 99-mph fastball from Enoli Paredes off his left wrist area, as Daren Willman of MLB.com noted. He ran for himself but was replaced defensively in the following half-inning. Kiermaier posted a .217/.321/.367 line in the regular season and hasn’t hit much this postseason. He’s an otherworldly outfielder, however, and has been a vital piece of a Rays’ defense that has thrived during their playoff run.
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