Zobrist lands on DL after dislocating left thumb

ANAHEIM -- The Rays placed Ben Zobrist on the disabled list Thursday and selected infielder Cole Figueroa from Triple-A Durham prior to their contest against the Angels.

Zobrist dislocated his left thumb in Wednesday afternoon's 2-0 win over the Mariners.

After hitting a one-out single in the fifth, Zobrist was thrown out trying to steal second base. He slid into the base headfirst, and after appearing to jam his left hand on the bag, he got up, holding it, and called to the Rays' bench.

Zobrist did not return to the field to play defense in the bottom half of the inning as Sean Rodriguez took his place at second base.

After team trainers had a difficult time trying to pop his thumb back into place, Zobrist saw a doctor and had X-rays to make sure there was not a fracture. The thumb was then popped back into place.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said losing Zobrist will be tough for the team because "the guy is a regular part of our heartbeat."

In his absence, the Rays will use Rodriguez, Figueroa, and Logan Forsythe.

Rodriguez said he hopes to make the most of his opportunity.

"Just having the opportunity to go out there daily with the possibility that you'll be able to contribute more than the little bit that you have been doing is something to look forward to," Rodriguez said.

Zobrist can throw, run and exercise now. After allowing the injury to heal some, he'll gradually advance to where he hits. Catching balls in his glove will be the final step in his recovery that could take anywhere from one to three weeks.

Zobrist was not surprised to be placed on the DL.

"That's probably the safer approach than trying to push it and maybe have an unstable joint coming back earlier than that 15 days," Zobrist said. "They have no idea [how long it will take]. We don't know. But obviously these things, sometimes you can come back quickly from them and sometimes they take longer."

Zobrist accepted his fate with grace.

"It's just one of those things where it's going to happen at some point in your career," Zobrist said. "You're going to have something like that. And, fortunately, I haven't had very many things I've had to go on the DL for. It's disappointing, but at the same time, it will let everything heal up a little bit. Hopefully, when I come back, I'll be more fresh and ready to help the team out."