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.

"This is absurd. WHY" one fan tweeted.

"Dude just absolutely dominated yesterday, what happened???" tweeted another fan.

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.

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

Tampa Bay Rays v Boston Red Sox

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.

While the injury hurts them, Glasnow's return should help the sting a bit.