By Artist Kevin Dresser
Another day, another player who will be placed on the disabled list.
Sure, the Rays won 7-1 over the Jays last night, scoring six of those runs in the fifth inning, but they had to do it without their starter. Righty Jeff Niemann caught a line drive from Adam Lind on the leg in the first inning and was pulled from the game before the start of the second.
Niemann suffered a small fracture of his right fibula (the calf bone) and is expected to miss at least four to six weeks.
The big man will join the following long list of Rays players on the DL:
| Date | Player | Status |
| 5/12/2012 | Desmond Jennings, CF | Strained left knee (on 15-day DL) |
| 5/10/2012 | Brandon Allen, 1B | Right quad strain (on 15-day DL) |
| 5/1/2012 | Evan Longoria, 3B | Torn left hamstring – out 6-8 weeks (on 15-day DL) |
| 4/13/2012 | Jose Lobaton, C | Right shoulder soreness (on 15-day DL) |
| 4/4/2012 | Sam Fuld, LF | Right wrist surgery – out 4-5 months (on 60-day DL) |
| 4/1/2012 | Kyle Farnsworth, P | Right elbow strain – out 4-6 weeks (on 60-day DL) |
| 3/26/2012 | Robinson Chirinos, C | Concussion (on 60-day DL) |
And still, somehow, Tampa Bay is tied for the fourth-best record in Major League Baseball. Cliche, yes, but right now these guys are proving that where there’s a will, there’s a way.
