Strained hammy lands Hanigan on DL

TORONTO -- He was hoping against it, but the strained right hamstring that has been bothering Ryan Hanigan has landed him on the 15-day disabled list.

The Rays' catcher left Monday's game against the Blue Jays when the hammy tightened up, and he was on the bench yesterday as the team lost its second straight in the Toronto.

The writing was on the wall that it might come to this, as Tampa Bay recalled catcher Ali Solis on Tuesday, giving the team three possible bodies behind the plate.

Hanigan said Wednesday that he's confident recovering from the injury won't take any longer than the minimum 15 days he needs to spend on the DL.

"It's tough," he said. "It's just not getting better right now, and we think it's the best thing for it. But you make a move like this, and get it healthy and be ready to go in that 15 days."

The same hamstring caused Hanigan to miss three games on the team's previous road trip. The 33-year-old said he doesn't believe there's a muscle tear, but he could go for an MRI once the team returns home from its current eight-game road trip.

Hanigan is hitting .212 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in 42 games this season. Jose Molina started behind the plate Tuesday, but it's expected that Solis will see playing time while on recall.

Hanigan said he plans to take the next three or four days to undergo treatment and rest the leg. After a week, he's hoping he'll be able to commence strength training.

"It's really all speculative right now, but that's the plan and I'm very optimistic," he said. "It's just a lingering thing right now."

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Molina will likely draw the starts behind the plate for the rest of the week, considering he has plenty of experience catching in the American League East. The Rays head to Boston for a three-game series against the Red Sox after an off-day on Thursday.

"I'll look at it as we move further along," he said.