Tampa Bay Rays Injury Notes on Taylor Walls and Josh Fleming

The Tampa Bay Rays, who enter play on Saturday tied for first place in the American League East, have provided updates on both Taylor Walls and Josh Fleming.

First, with regards to Fleming, who is about to start a rehab assignment. This update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Fleming (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Rays' Florida Complex League affiliate Saturday.

ANALYSIS
Fleming has been on the shelf since early June with cartilage damage and inflammation in his pitching elbow, but he's finally ready to test things out in game action. Given his relatively lengthy absence, Fleming figures to require a handful of rehab appearances before being an option for the Rays' rotation or bullpen.

The 27-year-old is 1-0 this season through 11 appearances. He's pitched to a 4.62 ERA. Lifetime, he's 18-13 with a 4.86. He's in his fourth season in the big leagues after debuting in 2020 and helping the Rays get to the World Series.

With regards to Walls, he's been put on the injured list:

Walls was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

ANALYSIS
The injured occurred during Thursday's loss to the Orioles. No timetable for Walls' return has been established, but it's an injury which typically requires more than a minimum stay on the IL. Isaac Paredes should see a little more playing time with Walls out and Vidal Brujan -- who has taken Walls' spot on the roster -- could also get some starts.

Walls, a valuable utility piece for the Rays, is hitting .211 this year with a .315 on-base percentage. He has seven home runs and has stolen 20 bases.