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April 24: CF Jose Siri (kidney stones) out of lineup after undergoing procedure
Siri has been dealing with kidney stones that forced him to sit out Sunday and visit a local hospital. He traveled home with the team and returned to the Rays' lineup on Monday night against the Tigers at Tropicana Field. He was off Tuesday but entered the game as a defensive replacement. Siri was again out of the lineup Wednesday night after undergoing a procedure to have the stones broken up.

Siri said he started to experience discomfort during the Rays' previous homestand, but he didn't feel enough pain to not play until this weekend. He's been given medicine and was told to drink a lot of water to help him pass the obstruction. He said he dealt with kidney stones once in the Minor Leagues, so he knew what the issue was when it flared up this time around.

Siri is expected to be back and fully available when Tampa Bay begins a six-game road trip against the White Sox on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

April 23: RHP Pete Fairbanks (nerve-related issue) awaiting answers after testing
After he was placed on the IL on Monday, retroactive to April 19, due to an unspecified "nerve-related issue,” Fairbanks said Tuesday night he didn’t have any new information on his status or treatment plan. The Rays closer went through a series of MRIs which Fairbanks said revealed no structural damage to his arm, and he anticipates more testing in the coming days.

“Structurally, everything is good, obviously,” he said. “But when it comes to the interplay between your fascia, the muscles and the nerves, there’s some things that still need to be figured out. … We’re trying to figure out some other avenues to go down and different things, whether it’s a nerve conduction, etc. Just still searching for some answers on that front.”

Fairbanks said this injury is unrelated to his previous bouts with Raynaud’s syndrome, which impacts the blood flow to the fingers and affects his grip on the ball. He first felt the issue while playing catch at Yankee Stadium last Saturday, saying he experienced an “instantaneous” pins-and-needles sensation like his hand had fallen asleep. The feeling subsided but hasn’t entirely gone away, he said, calling it “manageable … but it’s going to take a little bit to try and figure out what the right cocktail to throw at it is.”

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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP Pete Fairbanks (nerve-related issue)
Expected return: TBD
After a stomach issue forced Fairbanks to remain at the team's hotel in New York on April 19, he rejoined the team at Yankee Stadium on April 20 and felt "a little bit of a zinger" in his hand while playing catch before the game, manager Kevin Cash said. Fairbanks was unavailable for the rest of the series. The club placed him on the IL on April 22, retroactive to April 19, due to an unspecified "nerve-related issue."

Fairbanks said a series of MRIs revealed no structural damage to his arm, but as of April 23 he was still awaiting more tests to further evaluate his condition. The right-hander said this injury is unrelated to previous flare-ups of Raynaud’s syndrome, and the uncertainty makes it difficult to predict when he could return to the mound. (Last updated: April 23)

RHP Taj Bradley (right pectoral strain)
Expected return: First half of May
Bradley threw a three-inning sim game on April 17 and pitched four innings (on 62 pitches) in an extended spring game on April 22. He is now slated to join Triple-A Durham for a Minor League rehab assignment, likely starting on April 28. He must still go through the process of rebuilding his stamina and increasing his pitch count before he's ready to return.

Bradley was set to start against the Orioles on March 12 in Sarasota, Fla., when he felt tightness in his pectoral muscle while warming up in the bullpen. He underwent an MRI that confirmed a right pec strain. If the recovery and throwing progression take about six weeks as expected, he could return in the first half of May. He was placed on the 15-day IL on March 26, retroactive to March 25. (Last updated: April 22)

OF Josh Lowe (right oblique strain)
Expected return: Late April/early May
Lowe's Minor League rehab assignment is underway, as he played three consecutive complete games for Triple-A Durham on April 19, 20 and 21. Lowe played center field in his first game back, then right field -- and he also homered in that second game -- and was the DH in the third game. Lowe was shut down for six days on Feb. 29 with the idea that he likely would not play for 10-15 days after being irritated by left hip inflammation. Just as he was nearing a return to game action, Lowe tweaked his right oblique on March 15. An MRI on March 16 revealed a Grade 1 strain.

"He has swung the bat well. The at-bats have been good. He seems pretty positive about how he's feeling," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Regardless of the results that he's getting, we still have to keep in the back of our minds [that] he didn't have many at-bats in Spring Training." (Last updated: April 22)

RHP Shane Baz (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Possibly May
Baz will throw two innings in an extended spring game on April 24. If that outing goes well, the right-hander will continue to build up his pitch count and workload with an eye on returning to the rotation. Baz dealt with two minor oblique setbacks during his comeback, with the first coming when he picked up a weight in the weight room in early March.

Baz, who missed the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Sept. 28, 2022, completed his rehab late last year. But the young right-hander will be limited this season, as he has never carried a significant workload and did not pitch at all last season. Baz essentially began his buildup after Spring Training ended. He was placed on the 15-day IL on March 26, retroactive to March 25. (Last updated: April 22)

2B Brandon Lowe (right oblique strain)
Expected return: Likely May
Lowe was pulled early from the Rays’ April 3 game against the Rangers due to left side tightness and underwent a precautionary MRI. But that scan revealed no issues, and Lowe returned to the field for all three of Tampa Bay’s games at Coors Field. He didn’t start April 8-9 against the Angels, which was expected against a pair of left-handed pitchers. He was preparing for a possible pinch-hit appearance on April 9, however, when something flared up in his right oblique.

An MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain, and he was placed on the injured list on April 12, retroactive to April 9. The Rays' initial expectation was that he wouldn't be sidelined as long as others who have dealt with more severe oblique strains. He is swinging and taking ground balls but isn't yet close to a return. (Last updated: April 22)

INF Jonathan Aranda (fractured right ring finger)
Expected return: Likely May
Aranda sustained a fractured right ring finger while fielding a ground ball during a workout on March 19, which led to surgery to insert a pin into the finger on March 21. It was an unfortunate injury at a tough time for Aranda, who had put together an impressive Spring Training and seemed to be on his way to a breakthrough season for the Rays. His IL stint began on March 25.

He had the pins removed from his finger on April 15 and could progress fairly quickly into his hitting progression. He stayed active otherwise, throwing and essentially doing everything but hitting. Aranda was set for an extended spring game on April 23, with an eye on beginning a rehab assignment in Triple-A as soon as April 25-26. (Last updated: April 22)

OF Jonny DeLuca (fractured right hand)
Expected return: Likely May
DeLuca was struck on the right hand by a 93.1 mph sinker from Boston's Garrett Whitlock while trying to check his swing in the third inning of the Dominican Republic Series finale at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal. He was sent to a local hospital for X-rays, which confirmed a break in his right hand.

DeLuca said the injury is lower on his hand, closer to his wrist. He was officially placed on the 10-day IL on March 27, retroactive to March 25, with an expected recovery time of six weeks. He was set for an extended spring game on April 23, with an eye on beginning a rehab assignment in Triple-A as soon as April 25-26. (Last updated: April 22)

60-DAY INJURED LIST

SS Taylor Walls (right hip surgery)
Expected return: TBD
Walls was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 20. There is no clear timeframe for the infielder's return, as manager Kevin Cash said on April 22 that Walls is "still feeling a little bit of hip inflammation." Walls is expected to be sidelined from baseball activities for 10-14 days, instead focusing on strengthening his hip before getting back into on-field work.

Cash said the team received a "very good report" from Walls' visit with Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd in Nashville, Tenn., on April 1. Given the amount of time Walls has missed, it seems likely he will have to essentially recreate a progression similar to Spring Training whenever he returns to game action.

Walls, whose injured list stint began March 25, underwent surgery on Oct. 27 to repair a labral tear and relieve discomfort from an impingement in his right hip. He said on Feb. 13 he had been dealing with a “noticeable hip impingement” for more than a year, and it reached the point in the playoffs where he could barely swing the bat. (Last updated: April 22)

LHP Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Likely July/August
Springs underwent successful Tommy John surgery on April 24, 2023. Assuming his rehab continues to go well, he could be in line to rejoin the Rays’ rotation by July or August, president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 15 to make room for righty Jacob Waguespack on the 40-man roster. (Last updated: March 15)

RHP Drew Rasmussen (right flexor strain)
Expected return: Late 2024
Rasmussen went on the IL a day after tossing seven scoreless innings on May 11 in the Rays' 8-2 victory at Yankee Stadium. Manager Kevin Cash announced on July 8 that Rasmussen was slated to undergo a season-ending hybrid internal brace procedure, which he underwent on July 24. Rasmussen, who previously had two Tommy John surgeries, is doing well in his rehab and could return to the big league staff in the final months of the season, president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. He was placed on the 60-day IL on Feb. 20. (Last updated: Feb. 20)

LHP Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Likely 2025
McClanahan underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21, his second time having the procedure. He is expected to miss the entire season, although the two-year contract he signed with the Rays in January to avoid arbitration included escalators for his 2025 to account for the possibility of a late-season return in ’24, if his rehab allows for it. He was officially placed on the 60-day IL on Feb. 14, before the Rays' first Spring Training workout. (Last updated: Feb. 14)

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