The Tampa Bay Rays lost outfielder Brett Phillips in Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves, when he left after the second inning with what manager Kevin Cash calls a left hamstring injury.
“When he scored [on Kevan Smith‘s two run single, he] felt it,” Cash said. “He’s frustrated. He said he worked so hard this offseason doing hamstring maintenance stuff, and it crept up.”
Phillips was replaced by Josh Lowe defensively in right field in the bottom of the second, and Cash said the 26-year-old hero of Game 4 of the World Series will have to be re-evaluated Monday.
“Let’s see how he comes in tomorrow,” the Rays skipper said. “If he feels better tomorrow, there’s probably not a major reason for concern. If he’s sore, then we’re going to have to take a little bit of a deeper look.”
Phillips is battling with third baseman/outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo for what could be the final spot on the team’s 26-man Opening Day roster.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
