ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 24 (UPI) -- Tampa Bay outfielder Ben Grieve has been put on the 15-day disabled list, and will have exploratory surgery on his left hand Thursday.
He is expected to miss 3-6 weeks.
Grieve developed an infection at the base of his left thumb last weekend in Baltimore. He had the same problem last year at this time, but the condition improved with antibiotics, and he didn't miss much time. This year, the infection spread, and Grieve spent two nights in a Baltimore hospital.
"We thought it was the prudent thing to go ahead and get it taken care of," said Manager Lou Piniella. "No one is sure what causes the infection, and Grieve said he would be happy to get the problem solved."
"It doesn't hurt now," Grieve said. "But it will end up being the right thing to do in the long run if it stops it from happening again."
Grieve was put on the DL retroactive to April 18. It was one of five roster moves made by the Rays on Wednesday afternoon.
They put outfielder Damian Rolls on the 15-day DL with a dislocated right thumb, suffered in the outfield on Tuesday night, and selected third baseman Chris Truby from Triple-A Durham of the International League.
To make room for Truby on the 40-man roster, the Devils Rays designated pitcher Luis De Los Santos, who was at Durham, for assignment. They also announced that pitcher Delvin James, who was designated for assignment on Saturday, has cleared waivers and been assigned to Durham.
The Rays have lost three players in the last 10 days. In addition to Grieve and Rolls, Travis Lee went on the DL with a ribcage muscle strain. Lee is progressing nicely and is in line to return to action when the Rays go to Minnesota next Tuesday.
Rolls is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.
