Kevin Kiermaier to miss two months with Rays due to hip fracture
Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier is expected to miss up to two months with fracture in his hip, according to a published report on Friday.
Kiermaier, one of MLB’s best defensive outfielders, appeared to jam his hip in an awkward feet-first slide into first base in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game against the Chicago White. After he was evaluated on the field by the Rays’ trainer, Kiermaier limped off the and was later seen on crutches.
Kiermaier was further evaluated on Friday. The Tampa Bay Times was the first to report that Kiermaier would likely be sidelined 6-8 weeks.
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"He's going to be out a while,'' manager Kevin Cash told The Tampa Bay Times.
Kiermaier, a past platinum glove and two-time gold glove winner, missed about two months last season with a broken leg.
"I know there was one out, but I feel like I had a good chance of beating Jose Abreu to the bag there," Kiermaier said after last night’s game (per MLB.com) "You always see bad things happen when people slide into first base, but I'm just trying to keep the inning alive."