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Rocco Baldelli Back For Rays; Crawford To DL

Tribune photo by KELVIN MA

Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli sits in the dugout as the Rays take on the Tigers Aug. 3.

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 10, 2008

Updated: 08/10/2008 04:22 pm

SEATTLE - Rocco Baldelli finally is back on the Rays' active roster, but not in the manner the Rays had expected or hoped for.

Baldelli was activated from the 60-day disabled list today and will start today's game in right field. He replaces Carl Crawford, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right middle finger tendon subluxation—an injury suffered on a checked swing in his final at-bat last night.

"He said it felt like a rubber band snap," said Rays head trainer Ron Porterfield.

The injury is at the base of his middle finger, at the joint that connects it to the hand. Basically, the tendon that straightens the finger has come out of its groove. So when Crawford bends his finger downward, it locks in position there until he (or someone else) pushes the tendon back into place, allowing him to straighten his finger again.

"I don't even know how it happened," Crawford said this morning.

He is headed back to Tampa today and will be examined further tomorrow.

"I don't know what [the doctor is] going to say," said Crawford. "I just hope that everything's going to be OK."

Crawford was checked out by a Mariners team physician following last night's game and was told the injury could sideline him for 6-8 weeks, but the Rays insist they don't have a feel for how long Crawford might be out. Porterfield said this morning he has not encountered this type of injury before and honestly doesn't have a feel for what will come next.

"I think at this point in time, with our situation, we're going to do whatever we can to get him back on the field as soon as possible," said Porterfield. "So whether that's splinting it and trying to let it heal or whether it's [surgical] intervention at some point in time – and I wouldn't even be able to tell you, until he sees that specialist, what the timeframe would be right now."

Crawford will see hand specialist Dr. Doug Carlan around noon Monday, and no further consultations are scheduled at the moment. The Rays will see what Carlan says and go from there.

As for Baldelli, he is now clean-shaven, as promised, but otherwise is doing everything possible to act like this is just another day. Which of course it isn't—far from it, after all he has been through since his last big-league appearance May 15, 2007, against the Rangers at Disney. He said his only concern upon arriving at the ballpark today was finding some video of Mariners starter R.A. Dickey, a knuckleballer he hasn't seen before.

The big-picture interpretations of how much his return means can wait. It's all about the small picture for Baldelli now.

"Yeah," he said. "That's how I do everything."

He didn't envision getting the roster spot he needed because of an injury to one of the Rays' best players, but the game works in mysterious ways.

"Everyone here is very disappointed that CC's hurt," said Baldelli. "I wish the circumstances were a little different, but I'm happy to be back playing."

Eric Hinske will get the start in left field today, and that could become a regular occurrence if the Rays stick with their current roster configuration—which also would keep the hot-hitting Ben Zobrist here. The Rays may choose to bring Jonny Gomes or Justin Ruggiano back from Durham, though, if they're worried about Baldelli's ability to play every day in the outfield. Or, they could slot Zobrist into the outfield rotation once Jason Bartlett returns.

Here's the Rays' starting lineup for the series finale:

Iwamura 2B
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Baldelli RF
Floyd DH
Zobrist SS
Hinske LF
Aybar 3B
Riggans C
Jackson P

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