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Crawford, Upton Still On The Mend

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 16, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - As the most anticipated series in team history began, two of the Rays' most dynamic players remained idled, their schedules for the day centered on the training room rather than the outfield.

Carl Crawford won't be back in the near future, which isn't a surprise. B.J. Upton's short-term status remains a mystery, which admittedly has caught him a bit off-guard. While Upton might end up seeing some time before the Red Sox leave town, no one can be sure at this point. Missing both players, the Rays' lineup and defense has a very different look.

Upton did some running during batting practice Monday afternoon and said he hoped to be available as a pinch-hitter if needed. He couldn't predict when his strained left quadriceps might allow him to resume full-time duty.

"I thought it'd be one or two days, maybe," he said of the injury that occurred the Monday before in Boston. "But last time I pulled it last season I said it'd be five days and it ended up being 36, so we'll see. I can't really gauge it until I do something with it."

Considering the stakes in the coming weeks - and Fernando Perez's ability to patrol center field in his absence - Upton said he wanted to be absolutely sure he was ready before pushing too hard.

"The biggest thing is making sure I'm 100 percent," he said. "There's no need for me to be out there and not be 100 percent."

Crawford, meanwhile, would happily be out on the field tonight as a pinch-runner if the Rays' medical staff would let him, but that isn't in the cards. First of all, he's still on the disabled list. Beyond that, he's still at least a couple of weeks away from the earliest projected return date after undergoing surgery on his right hand last month.

"I'm feeling better, it's making good progress," Crawford said. "I couldn't even make a fist last week and now I can make a fist and I'm building strength back up in it. I'm just hoping for the best right now. It's one of those things, you can't really say when it'll heal - you just have to wait."

Until then, it'll be more of the same for Crawford, who admitted to feeling "antsy" while cheering on his teammates. "It's definitely hard to sit at home and watch the games," he said.

FULL HOUSE: Monday brought the official addition of the 34th and 35th player to the Rays' active roster, as RHPs Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot joined the team from Durham.

The best news for both is that at least they will be with the Rays through the end of the regular season. That thought was especially welcome for Talbot, who was recalled from Durham on July 2 but optioned back the next day and didn't get a chance to pitch.

"I've unpacked," Talbot confirmed. "There's nowhere else for me to go, so I won't be packing up for at least a week."

Opportunities to take the mound don't figure to be too plentiful for the new additions unless the Rays' starters keep up the trend they have established the last two days. Talbot made his big-league debut Monday in relief of Scott Kazmir after David Price had done the same Sunday in New York. It'll be that type of duty or extra innings for the call-ups for the time being.

"They're beginning-and-end kind of guys right now," said Manager Joe Maddon.

NOTEWORTHY: Closer Troy Percival was available to pitch Monday, according to Maddon. ... Monday's attendance of 29,772 was the Rays' first crowd of less than 30,000 for a Red Sox game at Tropicana Field this season. ... All three games of the Rays-Red Sox series were to be aired live in Japan on the national network NHK at 8 a.m. Tokyo time.

Marc Lancaster

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