Brad Boxberger led the American League in saves last season, but it doesn't look like he'll repeat that distinction.
The Rays' closer underwent surgery to repair a core muscle and will miss about eight weeks, manager Kevin Cash told reporters Friday. The injury had been nagging Boxberger for some time, Cash said.
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Tampa Bay does not plan to have a designated closer in his absence and will use a variety of relievers already on hand to finish games. That could mean save opportunities for Alex Colome, Xavier Cedeno, Danny Farquhar and others well into May.
Boxberger, 27, excelled as a setup man in 2014 (2.37 ERA in 63 appearances) before stepping into the closer's role last season. He went 4-10 with a 3.71 ERA in 69 appearances but struck out 74 in 63 innings and led the AL with 41 saves as he was named to the All-Star team for the first time.
There were persistent rumors during the offseason that the Rays were trying to trade Boxberger. Now they will indeed have to figure out how to manage their bullpen without him, if only for the short term.
