Rays starter Chris Archer leaves game due to forearm tightness

ST. PETERSBURG — Rays starter Chris Archer left Saturday’s game during the third inning due to tightness in his right forearm.

Archer had been pitching well, allowing just a two-out single in each of the first two innings, then a one-out double in the third on a ball that bounced over the head of leftfielder Austin Meadows.

There was no obvious sign that anything was wrong, though Archer had been pumping his arm a few times between pitches. He called out catcher Francisco Mejia, then manager Kevin Cash and head athletic trainer Joe Benge went to the mound, and after a brief discussion made the decision to take him out.

The team said after announcing the diagnosis — technically right lateral forearm tightness — he will be further evaluated Sunday. If he is headed to the injured list, another pitcher will be called up.

Archer left after throwing 13 pitches in the third inning, 42 for the game. For the abbreviated afternoon, he allowed three hits and struck out four over 2 1/3 innings.

Saturday’s outing was his first start, and second appearance of the season. He missed the delayed and abbreviated 2020 season with Pittsburgh after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in June.

He signed a one-year, $6.5 million free-agent deal in February to return to the Rays, for whom he pitched parts of seven seasons before being traded in July 2018 to the Pirates.

Reliever Andrew Kittredge replaced Archer with the Rays leading 3-0, and they extended that to 4-0 when Randy Arozarena homered in the home third.

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