AROUND THE HORN
■ Rays: Rays standouts Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Zunino are out for the season because of injuries, another significant blow for the defending AL East champions. Manager Kevin Cash said before Monday night’s game at Baltimore that Kiermaier is having an operation in the coming weeks. The 32-year-old outfielder hasn’t played since July 9 because of a left hip injury, and Kiermaier said earlier this month that he might miss the rest of the regular season. Zunino, a 31-year-old catcher, hasn’t played since June 9 because of left shoulder problems. He’s out for the season because of thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, according to a team spokesman. The Rays entered Monday’s game holding the second of the American League’s three wild cards. In addition to missing Kiermaier and Zunino, the Rays are also without Wander Franco, Nick Anderson, Shane Baz, Tyler Glasnow, Manuel Margot and several others who are on the injured list. Brandon Lowe recently returned after missing two months. Kiermaier, a threetime Gold Glove winner, has hit .228 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs and six steals this year. Cash indicated that his operation would be to fix the labrum. “He’s been playing with it, and the doctor basically said years ago that you play through it until you can’t,” Cash said. “Well, we got to the point where he couldn’t.” Kiermaier is on the 60-day IL and wasn’t eligible to return until September. Zunino was eligible to come back next month. Zunino was an All-Star last year, when he hit a career-high 33 home runs. He’s hit .148 with five homers in 36 games this season.
■ Yankees: A decadesold, mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction. The collector’s item from 1952 features one of baseball’s most celebrated and charismatic legends, and is widely regarded as one of just a handful in near-perfect condition. It’s estimated the final cost of the card could exceed $10 million when the auction ends Aug. 27. The record is $6.6
million for a 1909 Honus Wagner card that was sold at auction a year ago, months after another 70-year-old Mantle card fetched $5.2 million. Interest was already heavy Monday when the auction debuted online, with bidding already up to at least $4.2 million. No matter the final price for the rare Mantle rookie card, it will be a hefty profit for the current owner, a New Jersey waste management entrepreneur who bought it for $50,000 at a New York City show in 1991. “Every time he got up to the plate, the crowd would go crazy, the roars would be there. And he never disappointed you. ... He had that aura about him,” card owner Anthony Giordano said of Mantle, who spent his entire career with the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. “Whether you’re from the New York area or not, or a Yankees fan, it was always Mickey
Mantle that was highlighted.” The switch-hitting Mantle — “the Mick” — was a Triple Crown winner in 1956, a three-time American League MVP and a seventime World Series champion. The Hall of Famer, who died in 1995, was considered a humble player on the field.