The Tampa Bay Rays made the difficult decision to place struggling closer Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list due to nerve-related issues before their game against the Detroit Tigers. The team had been monitoring Fairbanks’ discomfort with numbness in his fingers for a while, and over the weekend, the problem resurfaced while he was playing catch on Saturday. Despite receiving treatment throughout the day, Fairbanks’ condition did not improve before Sunday’s game.
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash explained that Fairbanks underwent some tests on his shoulder and arm over the weekend, but more testing was scheduled to help identify the root of the problem. Cash mentioned that the team would continue to investigate by running imaging tests from Fairbanks’ neck down to his fingers. With Fairbanks out, reliever Kevin Kelly from Triple-A Durham was called up to fill his roster spot.
Fairbanks has struggled this season, posting a 9.00 ERA in eight games, allowing eight runs in seven innings. In his absence, the Rays plan to rotate different pitchers like Colin Poche, Jason Adam, Shawn Armstrong, and Garrett Cleavinger in the closer role based on matchups. The team hopes that with some rest and further testing, they can find a solution for Fairbanks’ nerve-related issues so he can return to action as soon as possible.
In conclusion, Pete Fairbanks has been placed on the 15-day injured list by Tampa Bay Rays due to nerve-related issues affecting his fingers. The team is currently investigating the root cause of these issues through imaging tests from neck down to fingers while also filling his roster spot with reliever Kevin Kelly from Triple-A Durham. The Rays hope that with rest and further testing they can find a solution so that Pete can return as soon as possible.