Tampa Bay Rays news and links: Day 1 without KK went A-OK

In the bottom of the 1st inning of the 1st game after the Rays found out that the team will be without Kevin Kiermaier for 2-3 months, Matt Duffy left the game with some form of injury to his lower body. It was hard not to feel a sense of just impending dread of somehow finding a new rock bottom.

However, there is some relatively good news on the Matt Duffy front: it’s a tight hamstring and not the left foot.

Rays Links:

• The other good news from yesterday was just a tremendous game from pretty much everybody, including the first man up to try and replace KK: Mallex Smith.
• Also enjoy this highlight reel from Daniel Robertson both at the plate and with the glove.
• RHP Chih-Wei Hu finished the game that Blake Snell so expertly started. It was a mixed bag, but he showed some nice stuff. However, his trip was short lived and the Durham Shuttle is finally fired up!

• 2B/LF prospect Nick Solak made the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week.
• Ray Tank: Denard Span is an awesome dude and hit a HR on Jackie Robinson Day for a kid.
• Fangraphs: Hopeless Forecasts and the Stereotype Threat

Around the League:

• You have to see this: Bryce Harper broke his bat into pieces and a HR was the last resort. And another angle. And in picture form. And statcast.
• Speaking of broken bat homers, Cut4 breaks down quite limited broken bat homer club.
• SB Nation has a new series we’d rather call DHazeBay — Part 1: A look at how athletes are beating drug tests | Part 2: How athletes are pushing cannabis into the mainstream | Part 3: A look into which weed is right for athletes
• Fangraphs: You Should Know What Matt Chapman’s Been Doing
• Hardball Times: The Past, Present and Future of Baseball in Puerto Rico