You can’t keep a good man down.
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Yandy Diaz is back in the lineup and leading off Wednesday’s matinee against the Twins in Minnesota, hours after taking a rather painful shot to his nether regions.
The 32-year-old All-Star, who’s second in the American League with a .323 batting average, left Tuesday’s game against the Twins with what was called “testicular contusion” after a foul ball bounced off the dirt and struck him in the groin area while he batted in the top of the fifth inning.
Diaz was down for several minutes before finishing the at-bat, grounding out to the pitcher, but was removed from the game when the inning ended, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
After the Rays’ 3-2 loss to the Twins, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash called Diaz day-to-day and said, “I think he should be fine,” per the Times.
Diaz is one of four Rays players with at least 20 home runs this season and leads the club with a .914 OPS.
Diaz made an instant impact in his return to the lineup Wednesday, hitting a two-run double in the top of the second inning vs. the Twins.
His 73 RBI this year is a career-high, topping the 64 runs he drove in during the 2021 season.
Diaz and the Rays trail the Baltimore Orioles by three games in the AL East but have an 8.5-game lead in the AL wild-card standings heading into play Wednesday.
The Rays will visit the Orioles as part of a four-game series that begins Thursday night.
