Rays' Wander Franco: Should play Tuesday
Rays manager Kevin Cash said that the jammed left hand that caused Franco's early exit in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Blue Jays isn't anything worrisome and isn't expected to keep the 21-year-old from playing Tuesday in Cleveland, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "He just got jammed a little bit," Cash said of Franco. "He's fine. He would have hit had the game been a little closer."
Franco's departure came in the bottom of the eighth inning, when he was lifted from a pinch hitter after initially jamming his hand in his fifth-inning plate appearance. Cash noted that the Rays' six-run deficit was the main reason Franco was removed from the contest, and the infielder was fortunate not to aggravate the right wrist he had surgically repaired earlier this season. Before exiting, Franco went 1-for-3 with a single to extend his hitting streak to a career-long 12 games.
