No fracture for Yandy Diaz; Rays activate Duffy

ST. PETERSBURG -- Yandy Díaz, who left Monday’s 9-4 loss to the Red Sox after fouling a pitch off his left foot, was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a foot contusion. The Rays reinstated infielder Matt Duffy (left hamstring) from the injured list and designated relief pitcher Ian Gibaut for assignment.

The good news for Diaz and Tampa Bay is that there is no fracture on the foot and it’s just a deep bone bruise. Diaz was on crutches and there was significant swelling on his left foot.

“I’m still in pain,” Diaz said. “That part of the foot really hurts and I’m still in a lot of pain right now. The good news is that it’s not broken, but I’m still in a lot of pain.”

There’s still no timetable for Diaz’s return, and it’ll all depend on how his recovery goes over the next couple of weeks. This is the third injured list stint for Diaz, who also missed time with a left wrist issue and a right hamstring injury.

“Right now, it’s a little early to tell,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “No fracture, just a deep bone bruise. It’s kind of like we’re dealing with Brandon Lowe, and they all kind of heal a little differently. I know Yandy, right now, is in considerable pain, so we’ll just take it day to day. But [I’m] optimistic since there’s no break that it’ll be sooner rather than later.”

With Diaz on the injured list, Duffy, who will make his season debut on Tuesday against Boston, will get a bulk of the playing time at third base for Tampa Bay, with Joey Wendle and Mike Brosseau also scheduled to see action at the position.

Adding Duffy back to the lineup could serve as a spark to a Rays offense that has struggled over the last month.

“I feel like it’s Opening Day,” Duffy said. “When they called me to tell me to get on a flight and come back, I felt like I was getting called up to the big leagues again. I’m just really excited.”

Duffy will also see some time at shortstop and maybe first base depending on matchups. The original plan coming out of Spring Training was to try and get Duffy in the outfield, but that’s unlikely given the hamstring issues he suffered this season.

In order to make room for Duffy on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay made the tough -- and slightly surprising -- decision to designate Gibaut for assignment. The right-hander made his Major League debut on July 12, allowing two runs over two innings.

The Rays have seven days to trade Gibaut, which appears likely since the team has already received “significant” interest from other clubs about the right-hander. He could be used in a package or Tampa Bay could receive a prospect in return.

“We like him a lot,” Cash said about Gibaut. “There’s a bunch of trade stuff going on right now and a lot of teams have shown interest. Obviously just shows how good of a pitcher he is.”