Tommy Pham is as hardcore as hardcore players come.

A fierce competitor who fights for every extra inch he can take, Pham has been playing with a fractured hand since July 28th, when he attempted to stretch a single into a double against the Blue Jays in Toronto, according to Marc Topkin, which likely means it was this play:

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This is not jsut speculation that his hand is fractured, either, as Pham has confirmed the injury himself.

Pham didn’t have a lot of specifics to offer but said the injury is more than a sprain. ”I’ve got some problems,’’ he said. “There’s a small fracture, but it’s small enough where I can play. And I’ve got some swelling.’’

Since the injury occurred, Kevin Cash has tried to use Pham as sparingly as possible, but the veteran outfielder is hard pressed to rest his injury. In eight games since the fracture, Pham has five hits — three doubles — over 34 plate appearances.

Although he is struggling at the plate, Pham has no intention of going on the Injured List to recover, stating

“I’m not going on the injured list, I’ll fight them on that.”

The Rays are granting Pham’s demands as of now, but they are requesting second opinions on his hand to determine their next course of action, and will need to see if he’s able to perform. Since the injury, Pham has been hesitant to swing the bat (for obvious reasons):

Overall this season, Pham is hitting .266/.365/.440 with 16 HR over 485 plate appearances and he has accrued 2.5 total fWAR as the top position player on the team.