ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell is scheduled to start against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday in his return from a fractured right fourth toe.
The announcement Tuesday was made two days after Rays Manager Kevin Cash said the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner was ready to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
Snell threw 18 pitches off a mound Saturday and an eight-pitch bullpen session Monday.
“It felt good and I’m ready to go,” Snell said.
Snell hurt the toe attempting to move a decorative display in a bathroom on April 14.
“I know the first couple days, it was like no shot,” Snell said. “I feel good, I feel I can pitch and feel like I can run. It should be good.”
Snell still has some discomfort in the toe when he walks, but says he does not when throwing on a mound.
“With the bullpen that I threw, felt very comfortable,” Snell said. “Wednesday is a day that all of us believe in, and think I’ll be 100 percent.”
Cash is completely confident that Snell is not facing any additional risks taking the mound and also does not need a full-length bullpen session.
REDS: All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp has been put on the 10-day injured list by Cincinnati because of a broken left rib, a move retroactive to Monday.
Kemp was hurt when he crashed into an outfield wall Sunday.
“I fought the wall and the wall won – as it usually does,” Kemp said Tuesday. “The wall is undefeated.”
Kemp is batting .200 with one home run and five RBI in 20 games.
Cincinnati recalled outfielder Phillip Ervin from Triple-A Louisville.
PIRATES: Reliever Nick Burdi has been placed on the 10-day injured list by Pittsburgh with pain in his right biceps and elbow.
Burdi grabbed his arm in pain after a pitch in the seventh inning of Pittsburgh’s 12-4 loss to Arizona on Monday.
Pittsburgh said Tuesday he had a magnetic resonance angiogram and is seeking a second opinion from Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister.
Burdi has thrown just 10 innings in the majors since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2017.
Left-hander Steven Brault was recalled from Indianapolis, a day after he was optioned to the Triple-A team.
PAYROLL: Big deals for Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and others that included large signing bonuses masked an otherwise flat market for the second straight offseason that caused Major League Baseball’s opening-day payrolls to drop by $43 million for 2019.
Payrolls, however, rose by $131 million when using the averages of multiyear contracts. Following a winter in which many journeymen took cuts, a string of stars signed huge long-term deals during March and April.
Since the end of last season, teams agreed to a record $4.195 billion in guarantees beyond 2019, breaking the previous mark for out-year commitments of $3.414 billion set following the 2013 season, according to figures compiled by the commissioner’s office and obtained by The Associated Press.
Just three teams are on track to pay luxury tax. World Series champion Boston projects to owe $11.8 million, the Chicago Cubs $5.3 million and the New York Yankees just under $4 million. Figures will fluctuate during the season due to roster moves.
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