RADIO
Tampa Bay Rays southpaw Drew Smyly has been sidelined indefinitely with shoulder tendinitis according to The Tampa Bay Times. Smyly pitched exceptionally well for Tampa down the stretch of last season to a 1.70 ERA in seven starts after being dealt to the Rays in the deal that sent David Price to Detroit.
Smyly is coming off a season in which he transitioned from reliever to starter and pitched a career high 153 innings. Considering this is a shoulder injury his innings increase is noteworthy. Currently, he is slated to be Tampa's only lefty to start the year and a big piece of their rotation along with Alex Cobb and Chris Archer. This injury could set him back far enough where he could potentially miss Opening Day.
While Tampa's rotation is considered the team's main strength, depth in their rotation is not. Left handed pitcher pitcher Matt Moore is still recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent last year and is not expected back until either June or July. Alex Colome and Nathan Karns would make up Tampa's last two starters in their rotation should Smyly miss the beginning of the season. However, neither of these two pitchers have a substantial amount of Major League experience, having made only 11 combined Major League starts in their young careers.
In an AL East division that projects to be very competitive with potentially all five teams in the running for the title, having a staff with two pitchers that are not familiar with the league is less than ideal. Smyly's injury should raise some red flags in Tampa Bay's front office. Do not be surprised if they choose to make a move to add to their rotation.
