In his first start since going on the DL with shoulder fatigue, Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson was forced to leave Saturday's start against the Tigers after taking a Prince Fielder line drive off his right leg.
With two outs in the third inning, Fielder's low, hard liner struck Hellickson just below his knee. He collapsed in obvious pain and was attended to by trainers on the mound. After Hellickson made a few soft practice throws and lobbied to stay in, manager Joe Maddon made the decision to go to reliever J.P. Howell.
Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets that X-rays were negative. Hellickson is day-to-day with a bruised right shin.
On the season, the 25-year-old Hellickson has a 3.44 ERA across 14 starts.
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