ATLANTA -- After losing starter Shane McClanahan and reliever Garrett Cleavinger to the injured list over the weekend, the Rays placed slick-fielding shortstop Taylor Walls on the 10-day injured list due to a right hip flexor strain before Tuesday night’s series opener against the Braves at Truist Park.
The Rays made Walls’ assignment retroactive to Sunday, as he last played Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington. To take Walls’ spot on the active roster, Tampa Bay recalled veteran infielder Nick Madrigal from Triple-A Durham.
To make room for Madrigal on the 40-man roster, reliever Hunter Bigge (who had been in Triple-A) was designated for assignment.
Despite his subpar offensive numbers, Walls’ elite defense at shortstop has made him one of the Rays’ most valuable players this season, according to Baseball Reference’s calculation of Wins Above Replacement. By that metric, Walls (3.1 WAR) ranks behind only All-Stars Junior Caminero (5.2), Drew Rasmussen (3.7) and Nick Martinez (3.5) for the American League-leading Rays.
Madrigal will presumably factor into the Rays’ plans at shortstop in Walls’ absence. They can also use speedy infielder Jorge Mateo, who joined the roster as a de facto replacement for infielder Ben Williamson, who spent most of the season as Walls’ backup at shortstop and a right-handed-hitting complement to Richie Palacios at second base.
In a separate move, infielder Oliver Dunn cleared outright waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Durham.