The Rays placed Yandy Díaz on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain on Tuesday and recalled infielder Nate Lowe from the taxi squad.

Díaz said he had felt discomfort with the hamstring for a couple of days, but he was trying to push through it in order to remain in the lineup. But after experiencing some tightness, the Rays decided to pull Díaz in the fifth inning of Monday’s 5-3 win over the Yankees.

On Tuesday, Díaz was optimistic that he could avoid the IL, but after he underwent an MRI in New York, the club felt it was best to place the third baseman on the 10-day IL.

“I feel good,” Díaz said. “It’s still a little bit tight. I really didn’t expect to miss this many days, but it is what it is.”

While Díaz said that he hopes that the IL stint will be a short one, Rays manager Kevin Cash said the club will get a better idea after a week of rest. Díaz has battled lower body injuries in the past, missing some time with a sore right hamstring last season, so the team will be cautious and make sure that Díaz is feeling 100% before returning.

Díaz is hitting .307 with two home runs this season and had a .444 on-base percentage over 27 games in August.

“I know Yandy didn’t want to necessarily miss time, and we don’t want him to miss time because he's such a big part of what we’re doing and our success,” Cash said. “But we have to get it right and not make it more severe.”

In Díaz’s absence, the Rays will rely on Joey Wendle, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Mike Brosseau and Lowe to handle the third-base duties. With the Rays playing matchups, and with some of the workload management the club wants to accomplish before the last stretch of the season, all four should get ample playing time, and at multiple positions.

As for the lineup, the Rays will have to find other options to serve as the No. 3 hitter in the lineup. Díaz has hit third 21 times this season, posting a .958 OPS out of that spot. Facing Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, Wendle hit third for the Rays on Tuesday, but the lineup is expected to shuffle around in Díaz’s absence.

Tampa Bay now has 13 players on the injured list, with Mike Zunino and Díaz being the only position players. The list will shrink to 12 on Wednesday, when right-hander Charlie Morton will start against the Yankees and will be limited to 40-50 pitches, according to Cash.

Other injury updates

• Oliver Drake threw his first bullpen on Tuesday since landing on the injured list on Aug. 9 with right biceps tendinitis. The right-hander threw 15 pitches and is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Thursday.

• Nick Anderson (right forearm) is scheduled to throw about 20 pitches during a simulated game on Wednesday. The Rays are optimistic that Anderson could return to the active roster during the upcoming homestand.

• Ryan Yarbrough played catch to 120 feet on Tuesday and is scheduled to throw from 150 feet on Wednesday. Yarbrough was placed on the injured list on Friday with left groin tightness.