Evan Longoria to sit out Saturday to address foot issue

Evan Longoria to sit out Saturday to address foot issue

Published Jun. 28, 2013 8:52 p.m. ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Evan Longoria irritated the plantar fasciitis in his right foot Friday night and will miss games Saturday and likely Sunday, Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon said. Longoria will be reevaluated Saturday before a clearer picture of the situation is known.

Longoria grounded out to second base in the second inning of the Detroit Tigers’ 6-3 victory at Tropicana Field and appeared to wince in pain as he passed first.

According to Maddon, Longoria told Rays head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield about the sensation, and then Porterfield informed Maddon. Infielder/outfielder Kelly Johnson replaced Longoria at third base in the third.

Longoria left Tropicana Field before the game ended, bound for home, and results of upcoming evaluation will determine how the Rays will approach his condition.

“Of course, I’m concerned,” Maddon said. “I don’t know the level yet until we get more information tomorrow.”

On June 14, Longoria revealed that he had suffered from plantar fasciitis for about two weeks. As a precaution, the Rays slotted him as a designated hitter on occasion before he made a return to third base on June 18 against the Boston Red Sox.

Plantar fasciitis, a common basketball injury, includes the inflammation of connective tissue on the sole of a foot. On June 14, Longoria said he had no experience with the condition, but he described the sensation as "pretty painful." He said he felt decent at the beginning of a game, but the pain was strong by the end. 

Maddon described Longoria’s foot Friday as “a little bit tender,” and the manager has not ruled out resting Longoria for an extended time if recovery from the injury requires it.

"I'm kind of getting to the point where I don't feel like I'm doing any good to go out there and run around on it," Longoria said of the injury June 14.

Longoria has hit .298 (90 for 302) with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in 80 games this year. He played just 74 games last season, largely because of a torn left hamstring.

“He has played through a lot of different stuff,” Maddon said. “I guess it just started to bite too much, and that’s why we had to do it.”

You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford

or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.

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