By Joiner Martinez
20 Jul 2024, 19:18 PM EDT
Cuban first baseman Yandy Diaz was placed on the Tampa Bay Rays’ restricted list on Saturday and the team recalled infielder Curtis Mead from Triple-A Durham.
Diaz missed Friday’s 6-1 loss to the New York Yankees, the Rays’ first game since the All-Star break. Rays manager Kevin Cash said the decision was made for family reasons and that he did not qualify for Major League Baseball’s family emergency list. Cash said it was not a disciplinary decision.
The Tampa Bay Rays have placed INF Yandy Díaz on the restricted list and recalled INF Curtis Mead from Triple-A Durham.
— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) July 20, 2024
“We’re taking it day by day,” Cash said. “Hopefully we’ll see him soon.”
Diaz, 32, is hitting .273 with eight homers and 46 RBIs. He was named to the All-Star team for the first time last year, when he hit an American League-leading .330 with 22 homers and 78 RBIs.
Mead began the season with the Rays and hit .218 with one homer and five RBIs in 26 games. The 23-year-old rookie was optioned to Triple-A on May 6 and hit .278 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs in 59 games.
“I know he’s gone in there and done some good things,” Cash said. “A lot of players come in and realize there may be some adjustments that need to be made and I give Curtis a lot of credit for being pretty committed to doing that.”
Nationals lose Josiah Gray
Washington Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray will undergo season-ending surgery for a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.
It won’t be clear until Dr. Keith Meister performs elbow surgery Wednesday in Texas whether Gray’s injury will require an internal brace or Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. The latter procedure could sideline him well into next season.
Gray, 26, was Washington’s Opening Day starter but made just two starts this year before being sidelined with elbow and forearm soreness. He attempted to rehab the injury but felt fatigued during his final minor league rehab start on June 30 and underwent an MRI during the All-Star break.
It won’t launch again until 2025.
“It’s a setback. We can all admit that,” Gray admitted. “But it’s something you can grow from and learn from and come back better. And from talking to all my friends in baseball, I’ve been able to understand that it’s, you know, just a blip on the radar.”
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