X-rays originally came back negative after Rays leadoff man Desmond Jennings sprained his left middle finger on Saturday, but further tests Monday revealed a fracture, putting him on the 15-day disabled list.
Light-hitting Jason Bourgeois was called up to replace him on the roster.
The loss of Jennings is a big one for the Rays. His .258/.326/.419 line in 415 at-bats may not seem all that stellar, ranking just about average as far as AL center fielder’s go, but the only other player on Tampa Bay’s roster to see even an inning in center field this season, Sam Fuld, is batting .198/.270/.278 in 126 at-bats. Bourgeois, a 31-year-old journeyman, was hitting .291/.336/.371 in Triple-A.
The Rays do have the option of going to Wil Myers in center. It was his primary position between Double- and Triple-A in the Royals system last year. However, the Rays were using him strictly as a right fielder even before his callup in June; he hasn’t made an appearance at any other position this year.
It suggests that the Rays will try to get by with a Fuld-Bourgeois platoon until Jennings returns, with Fuld starting against righties and Bourgeois playing versus lefties. If the Rays do want to mix it up, they could use Myers in center with groundball pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Alex Cobb (currently on the DL) starting. But it’s probably not worth it.
