Griffin Jax’s regular season ended with three clean innings in Philadelphia, then an abrupt walk off the mound after a 104 mph line drive caught him in the lower back Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The Rays announced that Jax sustained a lower-back contusion against the Phillies. The right-hander was struck with two outs in the third inning, when Trea Turner lined a ball directly back through the middle with a runner at second.
The ball ricocheted away from Jax, but shortstop Taylor Walls got to it quickly enough to make the play at first and retire Turner. Jax bent over in pain afterward, then headed to the Tampa Bay dugout. He did not come back for the fourth, with left-hander Steven Matz taking over.
A scoreless finish cut short
Before the injury, Jax had kept Philadelphia off the board. He allowed two hits over three scoreless innings, throwing 52 pitches with 33 strikes in what became his final regular-season appearance.
| Griffin Jax vs. Phillies | Result |
|---|---|
| Innings pitched | 3 |
| Hits allowed | 2 |
| Runs allowed | 0 |
| Pitches-strikes | 52-33 |
| Exit reason | Lower-back contusion |
It was an uncomfortable repeat for Jax. On May 26 in Baltimore, a 107 mph liner hit him in the lower back during the second inning. He completed that inning before leaving the game, but the episode did not cost him his next turn. He returned to the rotation on June 1.
Rotation question waiting for Tampa Bay
Jax’s move from relief work into a starting role has been one of the more welcome developments during Tampa Bay’s rise to the top of the American League standings. Now the club heads toward the postseason without yet announcing its playoff roster, and the makeup of the starting staff remains one of the central decisions.
The Rays would likely need only three starters for an American League Division Series, yet they have five healthy options with postseason-caliber ability: Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Freddy Peralta, Ian Seymour and Jax.
For the moment, the immediate concern is how Jax responds after another hard-hit ball found his lower back. His previous incident offered a favorable precedent. This one arrived just as the games are about to carry a different weight.
