Padres 2B Luis Rengifo carted off field vs. Rays with right knee sprain

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — San Diego Padres’ second baseman Luis Rengifo was carted off the field in the seventh inning of Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay after spraining his right knee.

The Padres said after Saturday’s 7-6 loss to the Rays that Rengifo will fly back to San Diego to undergo further evaluation.

“This one stings a little bit more than normal,” Padres’ manager Craig Stammen said. “Just losing Luis, that situation is tough for all of us to handle.”

Rengifo dropped to the infield dirt after throwing wildly on a relay to home plate in an attempt to get Tampa Bay’s Cedric Mullins. The throw sailed wide of catcher Luis Campusano, allowing two runners to score on the play and tying the game at 6.

After being attended to by training staff, Rengifo required assistance to get to his feet before being loaded onto the back of a medical cart.

With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, Tampa Bay designated hitter Yandy Diaz hit a line drive to center that bounded off the base of the wall. Center fielder Jackson Merrill grabbed the carom and threw to Rengifo.

The play caught Tampa Bay’s Taylor Walls and Mullins near third base. As Rengifo was chasing Walls to third, Mullins ran for home, forcing the Padres’ second baseman to throw across his body to the plate. As soon as the ball left his hand, Rengifo fell to the ground.

Xander Bogaerts entered the game at shortstop and Jake Croneworth moved to second for San Diego.

“We’re not thinking about the game,″ Croneworth said. ”We’re thinking about our guy.″

Rengifo entered Saturday hitting .242 for the season and was hitting .301 in the previous 36 games and reached base in 30 of 37 games, including Saturday when he led off the seventh with a walk to begin a three-run rally that put the Padres ahead 6-3.

The 29-year-old started the season with the Milwaukee Brewers, but was designated for assignment and then released by Milwaukee on June 23. He hit .205 in 57 games with the Brewers.

Since signing with the Padres, Rengifo has appeared in 38 games, hitting .292 with four home runs.

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