7 years agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (thumb) will undergo surgery to fix a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks. It's a tough blow for the Rays and any Kiermaier owners. It's the third straight season that he will miss significant time due to injury. He broke his wrist diving for a ball in 2016 and fractured his right hip sliding awkwardly into first base in 2017. Although Mallex Smith is playing in center field on Monday, the likely scenario over the long term is for Carlos Gomez to man center field. Rookie outfielder Johnny Field took over for Kiermaier on Sunday and is starting in left field on Monday. Pitcher Chih-Wei Hu will be called up as an extra arm for the bullpen with Kiermaier on the disabled list. With Kiermaier unlikely to return until sometime in July, those in shallow leagues may consider dropping him. Field is likely the biggest beneficiary of this injury, but he's only an option in AL-only leagues for depth.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin