NEW YORK -- Before he gave up Jose Bautista's walk-off grand slam Friday night, Rays reliever Chaz Roe had allowed just one run in 17 2/3 innings since May 19. And he did it while pitching with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Roe revealed the injury Sunday after he and the Rays decided he will have surgery this week. Tampa Bay put Roe on the 10-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Jaime Schultz from Triple-A Durham to take his spot on the roster.
"I had an MRI in May, so I knew it was torn," Roe said. "I had a cortisone shot that helped for a while, but it kind of lingered the last few times I pitched. I didn't want to overcompensate and hurt something else."
Roe will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday in St. Petersburg. Doctors told him to expect a recovery time of four to six weeks.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said that with Roe out, he'll likely give even more late-inning assignments to right-hander Diego Castillo and left-hander Jose Alvarado.
Schultz, the No. 28 prospect in Tampa Bay's system as ranked by MLB Pipeline, made his Major League debut May 29 in Oakland. Schultz struck out all three batters he faced, but the Rays sent him back to Triple-A Durham the next day when Nathan Eovaldi came off the DL.
Even the short time in the Major Leagues seemed to help, as Schultz posted a 3.38 ERA in 11 appearances after returning to Durham. The timing of this promotion was great for him, because he grew up in Albany, N.Y., only about a two-hour drive from Citi Field, and his parents were able to drive down for Sunday's game.
Schultz grew up a Yankees fan, but he said his high school coach is a die-hard Mets fan. The coach, Rico Frese of Maple Hill High School, sent Schultz a text after hearing he got called up.
"He said, 'Hope you pitch well, but Let's Go Mets!'" Schultz said.
Cash is an All-Star
The All-Star teams will be announced Sunday night, but Rays manager Kevin Cash found out Sunday morning he'll be going to the game for a second straight year as an American League coach. Astros manager AJ Hinch, who will manage the AL team, said in Houston he had invited Cash to join his staff.
"I joked with him, he's got a ton of experience handling nine pitchers a game," Hinch said.
Kiermaier out with back tightness
Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier was out of the Rays' lineup Sunday with back tightness. Cash said he hopes to have Kiermaier in the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers at Tropicana Field.