ST. PETERSBURG -- With hopes of narrowing down the issue with his left hamstring strain, Rays third baseman Matt Duffy will head to the Dallas area to see a specialist on Wednesday.

Duffy will travel on Tuesday and is scheduled to visit Dr. Dan Cooper sometime on Wednesday. Once he gets through with that -- ideally leaving with some more clarity -- Duffy will return to St. Petersburg, and the Rays will begin to set up a plan.

“I don’t think it’s a serious thing, but I don’t know, there’s obviously something about this that isn’t straightforward,” Duffy said. “So we’ll see what he has to say.”

The infielder, who has been sidelined all season with the injury, has been close to returning to the Tampa Bay lineup, but has reaggravated the hamstring multiple times since Spring Training. Because of the lingering soreness and discomfort, Duffy and the Rays decided visiting the specialist was their best option.

“We know how to rehab a hamstring,” Duffy said. “Multiple guys have had it, I had it twice last year with no issues like this. The goal is to go figure out what’s not straightforward about this and how to go forward.”

Duffy said that he is “excited” to visit the specialist and to get clarity on what the core of the issue has been. Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see if Dr. Cooper will find anything different than what the Rays' doctors have seen over the last few months.

“I don’t know if we’re going to find more. I don’t know, do you want to find more?” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “I know we’ve searched [Dr. Cooper] out and he’s worked in that field and if anything, it gives Matt some peace of mind, because I know he’s really grinded through the ups and downs, the emotions of getting close to coming back and not being able to. Hopefully he’ll get some good news.”

Despite the frustration of not being able to play, Duffy still doesn’t think there’s anything seriously wrong with the hamstring. As tough as this season has been for Duffy, he says it’s nothing compared to 2017, when he missed the entire season after undergoing surgery on his left Achilles.

“I don’t really feel like it’s anything crazy serious. If I get serious news, I would be surprised,” he said. “It’s frustrating, but again, 2017 was frustrating and scary because I didn’t know if I would play again, truly.”

Zunino begins rehab assignment
Mike Zunino was slated to begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday with Class A Advanced Charlotte and appears to be getting close to returning to the Rays lineup. Making his way back from a left quad issue, the current plan is to have Zunino play Tuesday, have the day off on Wednesday and then play back-to-back days on Thursday and Friday. If all goes well, the Rays could have Zunino back in the lineup in time for the upcoming road trip in Detroit and Boston.

“He seems like he’s in a really good spot,” Cash said. “We’re going to probably get through the first three games and see where he’s at and if all goes well, we’ll start making decisions on when we can get him back.”

Diaz still feeling discomfort
Yandy Diaz took batting practice in the cage for the first time on Tuesday, but said he still felt some discomfort in his left hand.

“I feel a little better,” Diaz said. “What bothered me a little bit was taking BP, but I feel better than a couple of days ago.”

Diaz has been sidelined since May 19 after being hit by a pitch by Yankees reliever Chance Adams. The 27-year-old is eligible to return from the injured list on Thursday, but he’s still unsure of when he will be back.

“I still don’t know because today was my first day taking BP,” Diaz said. “Since it bothered me a little bit, I don’t know how many days I’m going to be out for.”