ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays third baseman Matt Duffy aggravated his left hamstring injury in the third inning of a rehab game with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday and will return to St. Petersburg for further examination.

Duffy has been sidelined with the injury since Spring Training, but he was finally making progress, and a return to the lineup appeared to be getting closer. He’s not eligible to come off the 60-day injured list until Monday, but he had completed a couple of rehab games with Class A Advanced Charlotte last week and played seven innings in left field for Durham on Tuesday.

“He’s getting closer,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday. “I’m really encouraged by his last couple days in Port Charlotte. Starting to see the timing at the plate. [He] hit a home run, couple of singles; moving him all over the diamond and playing different spots.”

Duffy would have been a welcome addition to a Rays lineup that entered Wednesday’s game with a .692 OPS against left-handed pitching this season. But with Wednesday’s setback, it appears Duffy will be sidelined for at least the next couple of weeks.