ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Outside of having to play third base with two outs in the ninth inning, Yandy Diaz got the day off on Monday. He didn't need it, he said, and it ''was as manager's decision.''
But it was a day off all the same, which Kevin Cash thinks is a priority, even in September. Diaz had played 11 games in a row, and had played in 16 of 17 games during the Rays' three-week run without a day off.
"I've got to protect him a little bit. I want him in there every single day and have every single big at-bat, but that's not fair to him to get the best out of him,'' Cash said.
It also had nothing to do with giving him a day to cool off after Sunday's drama, when he was called out on a third strike that was far below the zone, ending the 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees right in the thick of a ninth-inning rally.
Diaz didn't talk about the call on Sunday, declining to talk to the media. But he did address it on Monday prior to the game with the Boston Red Sox, a 4-3 victory.
"I think that was a bad call. Everyone saw it, and I don't think a decision like that should be made to decide a game,'' Diaz said. "We had good batters coming up after me to hit, too. I am always going to back up my team. At an aggressive moment like that especially, we're doing everything we can to help us win a game.
"It's hard to be calm after something like that, because it decided a game It cost us the game.''
Diaz has been playing well of late, and will be a big piece of the Rays' lineup in the final four weeks. Since Aug. 15 he has had 12 multi-hit games — tops in baseball during that stretch — and is 27-for-70, a .386 average.
"In this game, that's what happens, you have your ups and downs. I just want to keep staying hot. I think the mentality of always staying positive (helps me). (The ball) It looks like a soccer ball to me right now.''
Franco leaves game early at Durham
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco had a good day on Sunday during his rehab stint, getting two hits in five at-bats. But on Monday, he left after five innings at shortstop after feeling discomfort in his right hand.
Franco has been on the injured list since July 10 with a right hamate bone injury that ultimately required surgery. He started for Triple-A Durham on Monday and was expected to play seven innings at shortstop, but he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth after experiencing some discomfort in the hand during his second and final at-bat.
Durham is off on Tuesday, so Franco will be re-evaluated before Wednesday's game. Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow is expected to pitch an inning in that game as well. It's the first time he's faced hitters in a game since Tommy John surgery last summer.
Franco, 21, has a .260 average with five homers and 23 RBIs over 58 games in 2022. He also missed time earlier with hamstring and quadriceps injuries. Last year, he hit .288 with 18 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 70 games last year, finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Vidal Brujan gets spiked, now 'day-to-day'
Vidal Brjuan only played a few innings on Monday, but the Tampa Bay Rays rookie left the game with several bumps and bruises.
Brujan pinch-hit for Yu Chang in the seventh inning, and took a 93 mph fastball right off of his left elbow. He stole second, went to third on a grounder and then scored on Manuel Margot's double that tied the game. Margot scored the winning run on a double by David Peralta.
Brujan stayed in the game at second base, and in the ninth inning, he tried to turn a double play. His throw to first went wide, though, and Alex Verdugo took off for second. He slid into the bag, but his spikes caught Brujan in the knee. It cut him, and his shot to the knee was bad enough that he had to leave the game.
Yandy Diaz had to come off the bench to play third base for the final out, with Isaac Paredes moving to second.
"I'm feeling a little banged up at the moment, but the doctors said it isn't anything too bad,'' Brujan said through interpreter Manny Navarro. "It was bleeding a little bit because the spike went into the knee. It's fine. The pitch, it got me in the elbow, but to tell the truth, the knee hurts more than the elbow.''
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