Rays' Andrew Kittredge Hopes IL Stint is Minimal
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Andrew Kittredge is a critical piece in the Tampa Bay Rays' bullpen, but some lower back tightness has sent him to the injured list, a place he hates to me.
He's hoping it's a short stay.
Kittredge was placed in the 15-day injured list on Sunday. He hadn't pitched since the previous Monday (May 16) and is eligible to return from the list next Friday, on June 3. In his mind, he'll be amped back up and ready to go by then.
"I think we were thinking we could avoid the IL, but the longer it got, I threw a bullpen on Sunday in Baltimore, and it actually went pretty well, but this was something we didn't want to have linger,'' Kittredge said Tuesday night. "I think this is more precautionary than anything.
"Everything is pointing to a minimal stay on the IL. I'm pretty optimistic that should be it.''
Kittredge said he has felt great all year until last Sunday in Baltimore. He had throw a lot prior to that — four outings in five days — and manager Kevin Cash intentionally didn't go to him at the end of the Detroit series or the beginning of the series at Baltimore. He warmed up fine in pregame workouts Sunday, but felt some tightness in his lower back.
"The day after I pitched, I felt really good. I was about to hop up on the mound and throw six, eight pitches like I usually do, but it just didn't feel right,'' Kittredge said. "I thought, let's not make it worse, but I still made my self available. But throughout the day, it got a little worse.
"It's just tightness mostly. In the bullpen, it felt pretty good, it felt very, very minor. Like I said, hopefully a couple days of staying off it and not really cranking up too much should do me good.''
Cash said that Kittredge will be shut down completely for a few days to let things calm down.
“I hope (it’s minimal), but it’s still kind of early to tell,” Cash said. “We’ve shut him down from too much activity. We won’t have that good a sense until he ramps back up.”
Kittredge hopes that will be soon. He hates not being able to help out in the Rays' tight-knit bullpen, especially after having to watch two tight extra-inning losses in Baltimore over the weekend.
So he'll take it easy, then get ready to be back out there.
"A lot of it is just trying to not do to much, not irritate it too much,'' Kitredge said. "Our training staff is second to none in my opinion. I'll take it day-by-day and see how it feels. It's kind of up in the air, once I resume throwing. Hopefully it's in a day or two, but we'll see. It's never good being on the injured list, but better now than in August or September. It's good that we're staying on top of it.''
Kittredge will miss the Rays' big four-game series with the New York Yankees this weekend at Tropicana Field, plus their four-game trip to Texas next week to take on the Rangers.
His projected return date of June 3 coincides with the start of a six-game homestand against the the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. The Rays are currently 25-17, in second place in the American League East behind the Yankees, 4 1/2 games out.
Kittredge leads the Rays with five saves. He didn't allow a run in eight of his first 10 outing, but has been hit hard of late, blowing two saves in Seattle and Anaheim, and then losing his last appearance last Monday when he gave up a home run in the ninth inning.
He said his poor stretch had nothing to do with his back and was feeling great physically during the rough patch. "That was more about execution than my health. I've been feeling great physically,'' he said last week. "Just missed with location a time or two, and I paid for it.''
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Andrew Kittredge photo gallery
Andrew Kittredge
Andrew Kittredge meets with the media on Tuesday night to talk about his trip to the injured list with lower back tightness. (Photo By Tom Brew/InsideTheRays.com)
Andrew Kittredge, Francisco Mejia
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) meets catcher Francisco Mejia after closing out a game. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Andrew Kittredge
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field on Monday, May 16. He hasn't pitched since, and was placed on the injured list on May 22. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Mike Zunino, Andrew Kittredge
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Mike Zunino (10) and pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) celebrate their 3-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Kittredge
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Andrew Kittredge
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning at RingCentral Coliseum. (D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports0
Kevin Kiermaier, Andrew Kittredge
Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (39) flips a ball to pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) after defeating the Seattle Mariners at Tropicana Field. (Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports)
Andrew Kittredge
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge (36) delivers against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. (Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.