Rays add Shelley Duncan to roster

Luke Scott is out, and Shelley Duncan is in.

The Tampa Bay Rays added Duncan to the Opening Day roster Sunday, a day after placing Scott, a designated hitter, on the 15-day disabled list. Scott sustained a right calf strain last week, which he said was caused by drinking too much alkaline water.

“A big part of the equation for us was how long we thought Luke was going to be out,” Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Sunday. “I don’t know that we have a great handle on it, just the fact that it’s a muscle injury. It could be anywhere from two weeks to five weeks, and we’ll continue to monitor it. … We feel like Shelley has a chance to hit the ball out of the ballpark and add value with his power.”

Duncan, 33, was signed to a minor-league deal in January. He has a .229 career batting average with 138 RBI in 830 at-bats over six major-league seasons. Prior to joining Tampa Bay, he spent three years with the Cleveland Indians. He hit .224 with 10 RBIs in 49 at-bats this spring.

Right-handed reliever Jamey Wright, 38, also was added to the roster Sunday. He finished the spring with a 7.36 ERA in 11 innings.

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