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On Friday night in Cincinnati, the Rays lost to the last-place Reds on a walk-off balk by pitcher Matt Wisler. It was the 23rd instance of a balk-off in the past century, making it a feat nearly as rare as a perfect game. In the days that have followed, Tampa Bay’s injury luck seems to be following a similarly bleak and unlikely trend.
The Rays will be without shortstop Wander Franco and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier for the foreseeable future. Franco, the 21-year-old phenom, will undergo surgery on his right wrist and miss up to two months. Kiermaier, a three-time Gold Glove winner and longest-tenured Ray, is out indefinitely with a hip injury that might also require surgery.
