Rays LF Carl Crawford traveled to Birmingham, Ala., Monday night (instead of with the team to Boston) in order to have his right knee and hamstring examined by team medical director James Andrews. An MRI revealed no serious damage, and Manager Joe Maddon said Crawford was expected to land at Logan International Airport at 5 p.m. and report to Fenway Park in plenty of time to be involved in tonight’s game against the Red Sox, if needed.

The reason Crawford had to go to Birmingham to see Andrews? St. Petersburg-based team orthopedist Koco Eaton is in Paris, according to Maddon.

Meanwhile, Crawford is not in the Rays lineup. Eric Hinske is in left and catcher Dioner Navarro has been moved into Crawford’s No. 2 spot in the order.

While Maddon indicated Crawford’s absence won’t stretch beyond tonight, the manager said he wanted to discuss it with Crawford this afternoon before deciding a proper course of action.

While the Rays have been hit with multiple injuries this year (closer Troy Percival is on the DL now; ace Scott Kazmir missed the first month with a sore elbow), they’ve managed to weather it plenty well. But if Crawford’s injury drags on or gets worse, it might be the one spot on the roster the Rays (or any team in baseball) would have trouble filling even close to adequately with a replacement.

“It’s hard to evaluate, [his presence is] so important,” Maddon said. “Having Carl there improves your defense. It improves your offense. It causes much more concern for the other team on the bases. It provides confidence for the rest of the group that he’s there. Listen, he’s our All-Star. He plays the whole game. He plays it hard. If you don’t have him out there, then the entire complexion of the team changes.”

Tonight’s Rays lineup:

Iwamura 2b
Navarro C
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Floyd DH
Hinske LF
Gross RF
Bartlett SS
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Garza RHP