Kevin Kiermaier to miss at least two months with fractured hip

Tampa Bay Rays Gold Glover Kevin Kiermaier has been diagnosed with a fractured hip and will miss two months minimum.

Two-time reigning American League Gold Glover Kevin Kiermaier and the Rays received news this morning that he suffered a fractured hip after a freak play in Thursday’s game with the Chicago White Sox. Kiermaier left the game after sliding into first base to avoid a collision with Jose Abreu.

After the game, Kiermaier was seen on crutches in the clubhouse. He went through a series of tests this morning and was diagnosed with a fracture in his hip. Kiermaier had initially been diagnosed with a jammed hip. The centerfielder had been optimistic that he had not suffered a serious injury, but will now be out for a large chunk of games.

"“Pretty sore right now,” Kiermaier said after the game. “Doesn’t feel too great. … But after looking at the replay, I wasn’t expecting it to feel too good, so we’ll see what everyone has to say (today) and go from there.”"

On the play, Kiermaier hit an in-between chopper to first base and raced to beat Abreu to the bag. With the fielder’s momentum carrying him directly into the path of the runner, Kiermaier elected to go into a half-slide with his left foot jamming into the bag before careening off to the side. The split-second decision to get down to avoid a potentially large collision with Abreu will now cost Kiermaier and the Rays.

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Kiermaier is a big part of the long-term vision in Tampa. He signed a six-year, $55-million extension before the start of the year and was expected to begin contributing more with his bat in addition to his stellar defense. The offense has not materialized, and he is batting .258/.329/.408 on the year with seven home runs and 10 steals. Kiermaier has also been uncharacteristically shaky in the field, with six errors. The Rays will look to Mallex Smith to hold down center field until the Gold Glover returns.