Rays place Souza on DL; Mahtook recalled

BOSTON -- Rays outfielder Steven Souza Jr. was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday after suffering a fractured left hand in Tampa Bay's 11-7 loss to Boston on Saturday. Outfielder Mikie Mahtook was recalled from Triple-A Durham.

"Certainly wasn't [the best news on Saturday]," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We got a phone call [after Souza's hand was X-rayed] that it is a fractured hand. Four to six weeks. Obviously not an ideal thing for us or him, because his at-bats are crucial right now. But he's going to go back to Tampa, probably get re-evaluated there in two or three weeks and we'll go from there."

This will be Souza's second stint on the disabled list this season. He went on the 15-day DL before the All-Star break with a lacerated left pinky.

"Hopefully he comes back sooner than [four to six weeks]," Cash said. "But when you're dealing with a fractured hand, you have to make sure it's healed all the way through. But when he's ready to go, we definitely want to have him back here in the lineup."

Cash noted they would "piece it together" in the outfield while Souza's away.

"Mikie's going to factor in here now," Cash said. "[Brandon Guyer] will get some more opportunities against some right-handed pitching. And we'll still have Grady [Sizemore] and [John] Jaso at certain points."

Red Sox starter Joe Kelly hit Souza in the fifth inning Saturday. Souza fell to the ground and was tended to by the Rays' training staff.

He took his base and remained in the game to play defense in the bottom half of the inning, but Guyer pinch-hit for him in the sixth.