Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria suffered a shin contusion on Thursday. It's unclear when he'll return to the field.
Continue for updates.
Longoria Out vs. Phillies
Thursday, March 17
The Rays announced that Longoria would not return to Thursday's game against Philadelphia with a left shin contusion. After the game, manager Kevin Cash told reporters the third baseman was sore but walking around fine and didn't need X-rays. He added that Longoria could be the team's designated hitter on Friday.
Longoria Remains Among MLB's Best When Healthy
While Longoria, 30, saw his numbers take something of a dip last year, he's still one of Tampa Bay's most important players. He hit .270 with 21 homers and 73 RBI in 2015, which marked the seventh time in the last eight years he's hit at least 20 home runs and driven in 70 runs.
When healthy, he remains one of MLB's best third basemen.
The three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and 2008 Rookie of the Year has played in at least 160 games the last three seasons, so this latest setback is a disappointment given his recent durability.
Longoria only managed to play a combined 207 games out of a possible 324 between the 2011-12 seasons, but it appeared his injury woes were behind him. The Rays will certainly be hoping this latest injury is nothing more than a minor setback, as Longoria remains a key piece to what they hope will be a postseason contender.
With Longoria sidelined, Tampa Bay will likely give exciting prospect Richie Shaffer a long, hard look at third base in Longoria's place.
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