Tampa Bay Rays place Charlie Morton on 10-Day Injured List

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed veteran right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton on to the 10-day Injury List with right-shoulder inflammation.

Morton was prematurely removed during the third inning of his start during Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees. There has been some concern surrounding the Rays 36 year old hurler as his average fastball velocity has dipped to 92.6 mph, which is considerably lower than the 96.1 mph mark he put up in 2018.

The results for Morton thus far in 2020 have been pretty lackluster, especially compared to his 2019 campaign in which he finished third for the American League Cy Young award. Morton hasn’t been terrible, he just hasn’t looked like that dominant starter the Rays signed to the largest free agent contract in team history.

Morton has made four starts and has allowed a total of 10 runs over 16 ²⁄₃ innings pitched. After a rough Opening Day, Morton rebounded with two solid starts against the Braves and Red Sox, allowing three runs over 10 ²⁄₃ innings pitched. It was during this latest outing, after yielding a walk, that Kevin Cash made the decision to remove Morton from the game.

Initially, Morton thought he’d be able to avoid the Injured List, but the Rays are being extra cautious with one of their ace pitchers and decided to put him on the shelf for the next several days.