Kiermaier breaks hand on diving catch attempt

The Tampa Bay Rays were dealt a major blow after tests revealed Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier suffered a pair of fractures in his left hand while making a diving catch attempt during the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers.

The fractures are in the metacarpal bones of Kiermaier's hand, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, and he'll be re-evaluated when he visits a hand specialist Monday.

The injury occurred when Kiermaier made a quick dash to shallow center in an unsuccessful effort to scoop a sinking liner hit by James McCann. After he made impact with the ground, Kiermaier immediately threw off his glove and grabbed his wrist area before jogging off the field to team trainers.

''My glove kind of caught the ground and made my hand go a way that it's never gone before,'' Kiermaier said. ''It's just really unfortunate. I was really starting to feel good at the plate.''

Kiermaier's off to a good start at the plate, posting a .766 OPS with five homers and a team-leading six steals through 38 games, but it's his presence in center that will be impossible to replace. Since the beginning of last season, Kiermaier leads the majors with 51 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, nearly 20 more than the next closest player, Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

"Thank you @RaysBaseball fans for all the support after my injury today," he tweeted after the Tigers snapped the Rays' four-game winning streak. "Gonna miss takin the field with these guys everyday. I will be back."