Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash announced that closer Pete Fairbanks will be placed on the 15-day injured list due to nerve-related issues before their game against the Detroit Tigers. Fairbanks has been struggling with numbness in his fingers for years, and the problem resurfaced over the weekend while he was playing catch on Saturday.
Despite receiving treatment throughout the day, Fairbanks’ discomfort persisted before the game, prompting the Rays to make a roster move. The team called up reliever Kevin Kelly from Triple-A Durham to fill Fairbanks’ spot. In his absence, the Rays plan to rotate different pitchers like Colin Poche, Jason Adam, Shawn Armstrong, and Garrett Cleavinger in the closer role based on matchups.
Fairbanks has struggled this season, posting a 9.00 ERA in eight games, allowing eight runs in seven innings. The Rays will continue to investigate the issue by running imaging tests from Fairbanks’ neck down to his fingers to help identify the root of the problem.