After Monday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that pitcher Shane Baz had undergone a procedure to have loose bodies removed from his right elbow.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, and the right-hander is expected to resume throwing in 2-3 weeks. However, he will not be ready for the start of the 2022 season.
Baz, the top prospect in the organization and ranked 12th in Major League Baseball, made his big league debut on September 20, and went 2-0 with a 2.03 earned run average in three starts.
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.