Tampa Bay Rays fans gutted as pitcher Drew Rasmussen is placed on 60-day IL: "This is absurd. WHY" "Absolutely dominated yesterday, what happened?"

The Tampa Bay Rays have received some bad news regarding pitcher Drew Rasmussen. He's dealing with a flexor strain and has been placed on the 60-day IL.

The news comes as a surprise, as Rasmussen threw seven innings, shutting out the New York Yankees on Thursday. He threw 76 pitches and didn't show any sign of injury when coming out of the game. It seemed like a normal pitching change as he gave the team seven great innings.

Flexor strains are never good when it comes to pitchers. They usually occur when a pitcher has been overused, typically ending with a pitcher undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Rasmussen hopes to avoid surgery but will get an MRI and a doctor's opinion first. He'll miss substantial time but he's hoping he can come back before the season ends. It's a tough blow for the Rays, who have been the hottest baseball teams to start the year.

Tampa Bay Rays fans are devastated to hear Drew Rasmussen is heading to the 60-day IL. He's gotten off to a great start on the season, tallying a 4-2 record with a 2.62 ERA.

Hopefully, Rasmussen is dealing with a flexor strain and nothing more. It would be a bummer if he has to have surgery and miss the rest of the season.

With Drew Rasmussen headed to the IL, another pitcher is nearing his return for the Tampa Bay Rays

While Drew Rasmussen heading to the 60-day IL is unfortunate, it shouldn't hurt the Tampa Bay Rays too much. Tyler Glasnow is getting ready to return to the starting rotation.

Glansow has been on the IL since February while dealing with an oblique strain. He's on a rehab assignment in Triple-A and is expected to continue that assignment into next week.

Having Glasnow back in the rotation would be a huge boost for the Rays. When healthy, he's a tremendous pitcher with a great pitch repertoire. He throws a high-spin fastball with a tight slider and curveball to finish it off.

It wouldn't surprise any fans if the Rays have some dominant pitcher stashed in the minors that nobody has heard about. They're known for producing top-quality arms seemingly out of nowhere. Their developmental program is ahead of the game.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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