ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are dealing with a pair of back injuries, one that forced a transaction on Monday and one that further explained a roster move they made Sunday.
Before Monday’s series opener against the Orioles at Tropicana Field, the Rays placed reliever Cole Sulser on the 15-day injured list with a low back strain. Sulser hadn’t pitched since making back-to-back appearances in Toronto last week, and manager Kevin Cash said the right-hander felt the injury after the team returned from the road trip.
To take Sulser’s spot in the bullpen, the Rays recalled right-hander Chase Solesky from Triple-A Durham.
Cash said the Rays had been taking a day-to-day approach with Sulser, who felt “fine” after playing catch on Sunday. But his back “locked him up again” after attempting to throw off the mound, Cash said. Since they could make his assignment retroactive to Friday, Cash said, the Rays decided to “see if we can clean it up and not push anything too much.”
Sulser, 36, has been an important part of Tampa Bay’s bullpen so far this season. In 22 innings over his first 18 appearances, he has recorded a 3.68 ERA and two saves while opening one game and finishing five others.
Infielder Ben Williamson is also dealing with a “tight back,” Cash said, which is why he was not in the lineup against Baltimore left-hander Trevor Rogers on Monday night. Cash said Williamson “woke up feeling better” on Monday, but he’s still considered day to day.
Williamson has been a regular in the Rays’ lineup against left-handed pitchers, so they had to take a different approach against Rogers. Thus, with Ryan Vilade in right field, the Rays turned to former top prospect Carson Williams for his first Major League appearance at second base.
The Rays recalled Williams from Triple-A Durham to take the place of right fielder Jake Fraley, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks after he undergoes surgery to repair a hernia. It was a perfect fit, roster-wise, considering Williams is a right-handed-hitting infielder and Fraley is a left-handed-hitting outfielder.
But Williamson’s at least temporary lack of availability provides a path for Williams to play. Aside from a half-dozen starts at third base last year, Williams played nothing but shortstop in the Minors until the past month or so. When he was sent back to Triple-A after serving as Tampa Bay’s Opening Day shortstop, Williams made four starts at second and one start at third.
“When he got sent down, the plan was to have him get some work and maybe some games between second and third. Know that he can handle shortstop, but glad to get him in there,” Cash said. “It's nice to have Carson here, who can play shortstop and obviously pop over to second.”
In a separate move on Monday, the Rays reinstated right-hander Joe Boyle (right elbow strain) from the 15-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A Durham, where he was already pitching on a rehab assignment.
Boyle made the Opening Day rotation as a replacement for Ryan Pepiot, who recently underwent season-ending surgery on his right hip. But with Griffin Jax sliding into the rotation and Steven Matz set to return from his IL stint on Wednesday, the Rays could afford to keep the hard-throwing Boyle in the Minors to stay in Durham’s rotation.