Bob Costas’ eye infection: Matt Lauer will fill in Tuesday night

Bob Costas had told Olympics viewers that the “minor infection” in his left eye should be cleared up by the weekend.

Anyone watching NBC’s coverage of the Sochi Games on Monday night knows that didn’t happen. In fact, the ailment seems to have gotten much worse and spread to the other eye.

So NBC is going to the bullpen, to use the baseball-crazy Costas’ term, and having “Today” anchor Matt Lauer fill in as the anchor of Tuesday night’s Olympics coverage.

It will be the first time since 1998, when CBS broadcast the Games, that anyone but Costas has anchored the prime-time Olympics broadcast in either the winter or summer.

“I was trying to throw a complete game here, but I think we’re going to have to go to the bullpen, and I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but you’re Mariano Rivera, at least tonight,” Costas told Lauer over the phone Tuesday morning on “Today.” “Let’s hope it’s only tonight. I’m walking around, I might as well be playing ‘Marco Polo.’ I have no idea where I am.”

During the late-night broadcast following Monday’s coverage, Costas shared some vodka with NBC correspondent Mary Carillo, saying, “I’m looking at it this way … my eyes can’t get any redder no matter what I do.”