Rays Put Kyle Farnsworth On DL, Call Up Josh Lueke

The Tampa Bay Rays will open their season Friday afternoon against the New York Yankees at the Trop in Tampa.

They’ll do it without their closer from 2011, Kyle Farnsworth. Marc Topkin has the details:

The Tampa Bay Rays made the expected move official, placing closer Kyle Farnsworth on the 15-day disabled list Thursday and calling up reliever Josh Lueke.

Farnsworth has an elbow strain that will require rest, possibly up to six weeks.

An elbow strain that would force Farnsworth out of action for that long doesn’t sound good; the Rays have to hope that Farnsworth, who had 25 saves, a 2.18 ERA and a 0.988 WHIP for them in 2011, doesn’t have to have surgery.

In the meantime, the Rays are going with the dreaded “bullpen-by-committee” concept; they’ll use Joel Peralta, Fernando Rodney, J.P. Howell, Jake McGee and Wade Davis in the role, depending on matchups.

To replace Farnsworth on the 25-man roster, the Rays added Josh Lueke, who was acquired from the Mariners in the offseason for catcher John Jaso.