Tommy Pham, an outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a fracture in his right foot. This injury is expected to keep him out of games for about a month, the team announced on Friday. Pham was recently traded to the Rays from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pham sustained the injury when he was hit by a pitch from Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney during his at-bat in the 4th inning of a game on Thursday, which was only his second game with the Rays.
Initially, Pham remained in the game and even managed to score a run on a wild pitch. However, due to increasing pain, he had to exit the game in the 7th inning. After the game, the Rays initially reported that X-rays showed no fracture and only a bruise. However, further tests conducted the next day revealed the fracture, likely keeping him out for an extended period.
Expressing disappointment, John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, told Rick Hummel of the Post Dispatch, “That’s a bummer because I’m sure he went down there hoping to make a mark. It’s unfortunate.”
Additionally, in the trade that brought Pham to the Rays, the team also acquired $500,000 in international signing bonus allocation from the Cardinals at the trading deadline in exchange for three minor league players: outfielder Justin Williams, right-hander Roel Ramirez, and left-hander Genesis Cabrera.
Pham, originally selected by the Cardinals in the sixteenth round of the 2016 amateur draft, had a breakout season in 2017, hitting .306 with 23 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 128 games. Despite battling injuries, he finished 11th in the NL MVP voting that year.
