Matt Duffy likely to start the year on the Injured List

Matt Duffy, who entered camp this spring in arguably the best shape of his life, will start the season on the newly renamed Injured List, as he has dealt with a hamstring issue all spring long.

When on the field, Duffy has been a solid contributor for the Rays, both offensively and defensively. However, staying on the field has been a struggle for him since being acquired at the 2016 trade deadline. He would quickly land on the, then disabled list, with a foot issue. He would miss the entire 2017 season with an achilles injury.

He did manage to play in 132 games for the Rays during the 2018 season, despite spending some time on the shelf early in the season.

Thus far this spring, Duffy has only been able to play in a couple of games. He was slated to start this afternoon’s contest against the Detroit Tigers, but was scratched off of the lineup card, making his trip to the injured list, all but a certainty.

Duffy’s injury doesn’t create too big of a hole on the Rays roster though as several players have been vying for starting jobs in the infield all spring. Daniel Robertson, who broke out in 2018, has been excellent. Meanwhile, Yandy Diaz and Joey Wendle have also seen time over at the hot corner.