MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett left Wednesday night's 8-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins with tightness in his left hamstring.
Bartlett grounded out to lead off the fifth inning. When the Rays came out to play defense in the bottom of the inning, right fielder Ben Zobrist shifted to shortstop and Gabe Gross went in to play right field.The former Twin started the day leading the Rays with a .378 average.
It was unclear exactly when Bartlett was injured. In his first at-bat of the game, he grounded out to first base and slid headfirst into the bag, but remained in the game.
Manager Joe Maddon said he pulled Bartlett to give him a little bit of rest. The Rays trailed 8-1 at the time, and Maddon said Bartlett will be ready for the series opener against Boston on Thursday.
