ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated outfielder Austin Meadows on Friday from the 10-day injured list for the start of a three-game series against the New York Yankees.
The Rays also placed catcher Mike Zunino on the 10-day IL with a left quadriceps strain that happened in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 3-2, 13-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Meadows sprained his right thumb when he awkwardly slid into third base on a two-run triple in the seventh inning of a 6-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on April 20. The 24-year-old right fielder was hitting .351 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 20 games at the time of the injury.
American League East-leading Tampa Bay began Friday with a 23-13 record and a 1½-game advantage over the Yankees.
Tampa Bay also selected the contract of catcher Anthony Bemboom and recalled reliever Casey Sadler from Triple-A Durham. Infielder/outfielder Andrew Velazquez was optioned to Durham.