Kiermaier needs thumb surgery, could miss 8-12 weeks

The Tampa Bay Rays' outfield just took a huge hit.

Two-time Gold Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier will undergo surgery for a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

The Rays announced Kiermaier would be placed on the 10-day DL and they've recalled right-hander Chih-Wei Hu from Triple-A Durham.

Kiermaier exited Sunday's game after jamming his thumb into second base while sliding.

"It's beyond frustrating," Rays manager Kevin Cash said postgame. "We are all tired of KK getting hurt and there's nothing he can do about. He goes about his business as hard as anyone in the game. It was a typical KK play. Busting around to second base. The guy bobbles the ball. You'd like to see a little more reward for that than missing significant time, but this is three years running now where there is a chance he's going to miss a chunk."

It's a big loss for the Rays, who are off to a 3-12 start amid paltry attendance numbers.

Kiermaier missed significant time due to injury in each of the last two seasons.

In 2016, he missed 48 games after breaking his left wrist while diving for a ball. In the following season, he was out of action for 61 games after fracturing his right hip sliding feet first into first base.

During Kiermaier's absence, one of Carlos Gomez, Mallex Smith, Denard Span, or Johnny Field could play center field for Tampa.