ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier has a torn ligament in his right thumb that requires surgery and could be sidelined for two to three months.
The Rays placed the defensive whiz on the 10-day disabled list Monday, a day after he was injured sliding head-first into second base during a 10-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The club said surgery will be scheduled “in the coming days.”
This will be the third straight season the 27-year-old, two-time Gold Glove winner will miss significant time because of injury.
Kiermaier, who’s batting .163 with one RBI this year, missed 48 games after breaking his left wrist diving for a ball in 2016. Last season, he fractured his right hip sliding feet-first into first base and was sidelined for 61 games.
Right-handed pitcher Chih-Wei Hu was recalled from Triple-A Durham to fill Kiermaier’s spot on the roster.
