May 21, 2016

Losing Defense

Kevin Kiermaier of the Rays, one of the elite defensive centerfielders in the game, sustained a hand injury today:

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier suffered two fractures in his left hand while attempting to make a diving catch in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Kiermaier, 26, left the game and will return to St. Petersburg, where he will be re-evaluated Monday.

Kiermaier broke his glove hand while trying to make a play on catcher James McCann‘s bloop single to shallow center. He came up grimacing in pain and left the field immediately with the Rays’ trainer.

Note that there are a high number of excellent centerfielders right now, and Kiermaier is only the second best in the AL East. The Rays are ranked higher in pitching/defense than on offense right now, so his loss is likely to hurt the team.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *