Rays third baseman Evan Longoria has been out since late last week because of a strained left quad and it sounds like he might not return until this weekend.
Longoria took batting practice before Wednesday’s game and reported good results, according to the Associated Press, but Rays manager Joe Maddon has ruled him out for Thursday’s game and he’s not a lock to start Friday either.
Maddon doesn’t want to push his All-Star third baseman, even with a shot at homefield advantage and the American League East title on the line.
“We’re overly cautious with this,” Maddon said. He’s doing pretty good.”
Longoria, 24, is batting .294/.372/.507 this year with 22 homers, 104 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 574 at-bats. He has also scored 96 runs and hit 46 doubles.
