Kim exits with injury, putting Rays' starting keystone combo on sideline

TAMPA -- Already playing without All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, the Rays lost another starting middle infielder on Monday night when Ha-Seong Kim exited their 8-3 loss to the White Sox due to lower back tightness.

Now, having split the first four games of a critical stretch of games leading up to the July 31 Trade Deadline, the Rays have to hope neither injury will linger much longer.

Kim walked and stole second base in the second inning of the series opener at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and he fielded the final out of the third at shortstop. But he did not return to the field in the fourth, as Taylor Walls shifted from second base to shortstop while José Caballero took Kim’s spot in the lineup.

Kim said through interpreter David Lee that his back “tightened up really strongly” when he slid into second base.

“I tried to play through it, but I didn't think it was going to work,” Kim said.

Kim and manager Kevin Cash said they wouldn’t totally understand the extent of his injury until Tuesday. After the game, Kim said his back still felt “similar to what it felt like before.” With Lowe still day to day and Kim’s status up in the air, the Rays would be operating with a two-man bench unless they make a move.

“We're going to have to kind of put our heads together and think what's best for certainly the injured guys, and then our team and being able to cover games,” Cash said.

Lowe exited the Rays’ game on Saturday after the sixth inning due to a flareup of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, an injury he first felt after Friday night’s game at Steinbrenner Field.

Lowe had a previously scheduled day off Sunday and didn’t return to the lineup Monday night, although he reported some improvement after undergoing treatment and shed the walking boot he temporarily wore to provide stability for his aching foot.

“I don't know what happened. I don't know how it happened, but we're going to do everything to make sure that we can try to get it to go away,” Lowe said Monday afternoon. “If it feels better than I felt this morning, we're going to be in a good spot. So we’ll just take it day by day, and hopefully it clears up quick.”

The timing is understandably upsetting for Lowe, as he just came off the injured list on Friday after having to sit out the All-Star Game due to tightness in his left oblique. The Rays are not currently considering another IL stint for Lowe, Cash said, but they don’t want to aggravate an injury that’s preventing him from running at full intensity.

The Rays tend to go as their slugging second baseman goes, as evidenced by their best stretch of the season coming during his hot streak at the plate. But Lowe knows as well as anyone that risking a serious injury will only hurt the team over a longer period.

“It’s much better than it was the game I needed to come out of,” Lowe said. “But we're still not perfect, and we're working to do everything we can to make sure that we get this thing taken care of and hopefully don't miss very much time at all.”

Kim signed with the Rays in February, knowing he would sit out a few months to start the season while completing his recovery from right shoulder surgery. He was activated from the 60-day IL on July 3 and debuted on July 4, only to exit that day’s game early due to right calf tightness.

Kim returned to the lineup on July 8. The Rays have been mindful of how much stress they’re putting on Kim’s surgically repaired shoulder, mixing in two starts at second base with eight at shortstop.

For a player who appeared in 150 games in 2022 and 152 in ‘23, the stop-and-start nature of his first season with the Rays has been understandably frustrating.

“Throughout my career, I've never been hurt this many times, so it's really disappointing,” Kim said. “I put in the hard work rehabbing, running, conditioning, everything, and I thought I would be ready. But I'm just thinking that this is like the last step.

“I've missed a lot of games due to the surgery, so I'm just hoping that this is like the last step of getting over the hump, and hopefully it feels a lot better tomorrow.”