Pearce out until at least All-Star break

The Tampa Bay Rays are expecting Steve Pearce to miss roughly three weeks as he deals with an ailing hamstring.

Pearce is slated to head to St. Petersburg, Fla., to undergo an MRI, with the possibility of getting a shot, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

The club placed the 33-year-old on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, and recalled Ryan Garton from Triple-A. Although it's a frustrating scenario considering how well he's playing, Pearce knows it's a decision that had to be made.

"We're going to go to the DL let it get better and come back ready to go," Pearce said. "I don't want it to linger, if we can just take two weeks off and get it right then I think that's the right thing to do."

This season, Pearce is crushing the ball, batting .322/.393/.540 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs in 51 games.