Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Uceta will be shut down for 2-to-3 weeks after being diagnosed with a right shoulder strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Uceta began the season on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement, and he suffered a new shoulder injury during his last rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday. The righty reliever will need time to get built back up once he does resume throwing, so Uceta will be out for several more weeks even in a best-case scenario. He's a candidate to be moved to the 60-day IL when/if the Rays need to free up a spot on their 40-man roster.
Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Uceta has soreness in the back of his right shoulder following his latest rehab appearance at Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Uceta was roughed up a bit during his outing Wednesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits over 1.1 innings. The Rays will now shut him down for a few days before re-evaluating him, at which point an updated timeline for his return may emerge.
Uceta's (shoulder) minor-league rehab assignment is expected to transfer to Triple-A Durham next week, per MLB.com. The Rays are planning for Uceta to make more than just a couple of rehab appearances in order to simulate spring training. The right-hander, who's working his way back from a right shoulder impingement that cropped up in February, had his first outing with Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday and is set for two more appearances there before moving up to the Triple-A level. The hope initially was that Uceta would have a chance to join Tampa Bay in mid-April and battle for save opportunities, but now it sounds like his season debut is likelier to come later in the month.