Outfielder Jonny DeLuca suffers broken hand, likely to miss 4-6 weeks

An almost lock for an Opening Day roster spot, the Rays will now have to reconfigure their plans

During the final game of the series in the Dominican Republic between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, outfielder Jonny DeLuca was hit in the right hand while checking his swing against Boston’s starter Garrett Whitlock. DeLuca initially took his base, but would eventually be taken out of the game when the pain became more severe.

DeLuca was acquired by the Rays as part of the return from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot; he’d been in camp competing for a spot on the roster with a pretty good shot at being with the Rays on Opening Day. Unfortunately, initial X-Rays taken at a Santo Domingo hospital confirmed that DeLuca had indeed fractured his right hand and is currently expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks.

Following the diagnosis, DeLuca summed it up pretty succinctly with the media, “It sucks.”

With DeLuca being out past the start of the regular season, a door has just swung open for one of the Rays top prospects. Curtis Mead, who walloped an impressive home run during Sunday’s contest, seems like the next man in line for a roster spot (if the Rays feel comfortable enough with Amed Rosario in the outfield).

Josh Lowe’s injury issue may also be throwing a wrench in the Rays roster plans as the outfielder has been down over a week with something regarding his hip. Lowe and the Rays have said they think he’ll be ready by Opening Day.