Wander Franco hits IL, Potentially 6-8 Weeks

Heartbreaking news for the Tampa Bay Rays as star shortstop Wander Franco returns to the IL with a wrist injury that may hold him out 6-8 weeks.

The injury came on a foul ball off a 101 MPH fastball from Hunter Greene on Saturday, the video of the incident is captured here by MLB.com.

For Franco, the 21 year old has already missed significant time in 2022 with injuries, and it now appears that he may miss most of the rest of the season. Franco was slashing .260/.308/.396 at the time of his injury, and was beginning to regain his elite play, boasting a .414 OBP over his last 7 games.

This is a huge blow for the Rays ballclub desperately needed any production he could give to their struggling offense. The club still ranks in the bottom half of the league in many offensive categories, and missing their elite shortstop will be a huge blow to their recent rise in the rankings.

The club also placed OF Kevin Kiermaier and left-hander Jeffrey Springs on the IL Sunday. Kiermaier has been experiencing pain and inflammation in his left hip, while Springs has tightness in his right leg.

One has to begin to wonder whether or not Tampa Bay can survive the injury bug that has plagued them in 2022. Week after week the organization has had to battle injuries to key players, and with just how competitive the AL East in this season, it will be difficult to stay afloat if they cannot consistently field some of their best players.