Rays center fielder Jose Siri suffered a fracture in his right hand during Monday evening’s win over the Twins, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’ll land on the 10-day injured list, though the Rays are hopeful he could return in around three weeks.
Siri was injured in the fifth inning when he was hit by a Dylan Floro pitch. He finished that half-inning but was subbed out for the following defensive frame. Vidal Bruján came into the game to play right field, pushing Josh Lowe over to center.
Lowe has spent the vast majority of his season in right but could move to center while Siri is sidelined. Luke Raley could move more frequently into right field, potentially clearing a path for Harold Ramírez and/or Jonathan Aranda to pick up a few extra at-bats at designated hitter. However the Rays play it, they’ll face a defensive downgrade.
Siri is one of the better defensive center fielders in the game. He consistently rates highly with the glove, with Statcast crediting him as nine runs above average over 830 2/3 innings entering play Monday.
He’s a streaky offensive player but is amidst a respectable second full season at the big league level. Siri has rather quietly popped 25 home runs and is slugging .494 over 364 trips to the plate. A dismal strikeout/walk profile has led to him hitting .222 with a well below-average .267 on-base percentage, but he has rare power potential for an impact defensive outfielder.
The Rays are all but mathematically assured of a playoff spot. They’re three games behind the Orioles in the race for the AL East title (and likely the league’s top seed). Tracking down Baltimore was already an uphill battle and becomes a little more challenging with Monday’s news.
More notable is the possibility that Siri’s injury could linger into the postseason. The playoffs begin exactly three weeks from Tuesday. The club’s recovery timetable puts him right on the border of being ready by then, likely without the benefit of many lower-leverage at-bats to get back to game speed.
It’s possible that Siri could miss a playoff round, especially if the Rays don’t track down Baltimore and therefore have to play in a wild card series instead of securing a first-round bye.
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