Already facing lineup concerns this season, the Tampa Bay Rays will be without versatile infielder Logan Forsythe, who suffered an apparent shoulder injury Friday.
Continue for updates.
Forsythe Out After Collision
Friday, April 15
Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Forsythe left the game after a collision with teammate Kevin Kiermaier.
After watching the replay, Topkin added that it appeared as though Forsythe's shoulder made contact with either Kiermaier's jaw or the side of his head during the collision.
Used largely as a utility player in his first four years, Forsythe had a breakout season with the Rays in 2015. He set career highs in games played (153), doubles (33), home runs (17), batting average (.289), on-base percentage (.359), slugging percentage (.444) and wins above replacement (4.1), per FanGraphs.
Forsythe's offensive performance was huge for a Rays team that finished 25th in runs scored. Tampa Bay's lineup doesn't have the kind of depth that will allow it to win a lot of slugfests. Evan Longoria is still a solid hitter, but his peak is a thing of the past.
The American League East features four of MLB's best offenses, the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Rays, who entered Friday's game with a 3-6 record, are already off to a slow start, having scored just 24 runs in their first nine games.
The Rays are going to succeed on the strength of their pitching and defense, but they need their key hitters, including Forsythe, to be at the top of their games.
With Forsythe out, the Rays will likely use a combination of Steve Pearce and Tim Beckham. Pearce has some power, but neither player can match Forsythe's ability to get on base and pop.
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