Breaking News: Wil Myers Out 2 Months With Stress Fracture

As if the Tampa Bay Rays haven’t had enough bad luck this year, Wil Myers‘ injury now seems to be more serious than originally expected. As Marc Topkin tweets, Myers will be unable to do any sort of activity for 5-6 weeks thanks to a stress fracture in his wrist. After that, he will begin rehabbing and then progress into a minor league rehab stint. With that timetable, he will likely not be ready for big league games for 8-9 weeks.

Given Myers .227/.313/.354 OPS this season, it is likely that this injury has been affecting him all year. Stress fractures occur not at one point, but get progressively worse overtime. Myers’ collision with Desmond Jennings last week was the final blow to the wrist and was when Myers really began feeling the pain, but the injury has likely been underlying for some time. The good news is that this is the more likely cause of Myers’ struggles at the plate rather than any huge mechanical/mental issue. The bad news is that that it doesn’t really matter that the issue has been figured out if Myers isn’t going to be playing for 2 months.

With Myers on the shelf, the Rays outfield will see increased playing time from numerous different players. Ben Zobrist has seen outfield time in Myers absence, and it is also likely we will see increased playing time from Sean Rodriguez in left field, and Logan Forsythe at second base on days in which Zobrist plays in right. Recent call-ups Kevin Kiermaier and Jerry Sands will also see increased roles in the outfield. Also, Brandon Guyer is currently on the shelf with an injured finger, but when he returns he too will see significant time in the outfield. The next 2 weeks will be interesting, as Kiermaier and Sands will be locked into a battle to see who keeps a roster spot once Guyer returns. Losing Myers isn’t ideal, but at least the Rays have capable fill-ins for the time being.

The Tampa Bay Rays have had a season riddled with bad luck, and Wil Myers’ injury makes their hopes of bouncing back that much slimmer. At least now the Rays have found a potential cause for Myers’ struggles, and they do have quality replacement options. Here’s to Wil having a speedy recovery and taking the league by storm when he makes his return!