The Devil Rays' second baseman came out of Friday's game after fouling a ball off his left foot and hasn't played since. After taking some pregame cuts before Sunday's series finale in Toronto, Cantu switched out of his spikes and back into running shoes as he searched for a softer fit on his swollen foot.

Manager Joe Maddon was in no mood to rush his slugging second baseman back into the lineup.

"We've just got to wait," he said. "It's a day-to-day type of thing. He might be OK by tomorrow. I'm not anticipating that but if he is, that would be great."

Even though the soreness is still lingering, Maddon doesn't expect Cantu to go on the disabled list.

"I don't think so," he said. "If it's not tomorrow, it should be by the next day that he's OK. That's my guess."

Cantu's sore foot is the latest knock for the Rays, who have enudured an injury-plagued opening week. Starting shortstop Julio Lugo went down in the first game of the year with a strained abdominal muscle and landed on the 15-day DL.

On Sunday, Lugo said he's already feeling better and should be ready to go by April 19, when his DL stint ends.

"It's a lot better," he said. "I've been feeling better the last couple of days."

Once the Rays get home on Monday, Lugo plans to test the sore muscle, which is under his left rib cage, by hitting off a tee and working out in the pool.

With Cantu and Lugo out, Nick Green has taken over at shortstop, while newly acquired infielder Tomas Perez has picked up the slack at second by making some sparkling defensive plays.

"I expect us to play well even when an injury does occur," said Maddon. "That's why I've talked about the importance of a good bench. When you've got a good bench you can play through some situations like that. Of course you'd rather have your regular guys, absolutely. But you don't cry about it, you just move forward."

The seed of speed: With players like Lugo, Carl Crawford, and Joey Gathright on the roster, the Devil Rays have speed to burn. But Tampa Bay has swiped just one bag in the season's first week, a theft by Crawford on Friday.

Crawford, who twice led the American League in steals, said he's trying to pick his spots more this season.

"In the past I've always run just to be running," he said. "You want to be a smart runner, you don't want to be a guy who gets on and runs every time.

"I'd rather be safe 30 out of 30 times than have 50 bags and be caught 20 times."

Even if his speedsters aren't swiping bases, Maddon said the threat of a running game is often enough.

"Part of running is to make the other team do something to prevent you from running, which causes them to split their concentration," he said. "The seed of doubt is a wonderful tool."

Fashion or function: There may be a roof at Toronto's Rogers Centre, but Crawford was still feeling a little chilly so he took the field all weekend wearing tights under his uniform pants.

They're the same tights worn by basketball players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, although maybe not for much longer. Reports surfaced last month that the NBA intends to ban the long-legged look next season.

Crawford expressed sympathy for his basketball colleagues.

"That's stupid," he said. "The NBA is trying to police everybody."

Crawford said he wears the tights to prevent injuries during chilly April contests.

"It helps when you're in a cold building like this and you went to keep your muscles loose," he said. "I'm definitley not trying to make a fashion statement. When it's cold, there's nothing you can do."

On deck: The Rays return to Florida on Monday for their 2006 home opener. Right-hander Seth McClung (0-1, 21.00 ERA) will square off against Baltimore left-hander Erik Bedard (1-0, 5.40 ERA) at the new-look Tropicana Field. Game time is 7:15 p.m. ET.