The Rays, making a move to active third baseman Evan Longoria, have designated infielder Felipe Lopez for assignment, meaning the team has a few days to either trade Lopez, release him, or try to pass him through waivers and into the minor leagues. Lopez, originally signed to a minor league deal, came up following Longoria's injury and had been serving as the Rays cleanup hitter for a number of games. Lately, though, he has been struggling at the plate and was recently benched for not running out a ground ball.
The Rays will be sending out the lineup for left-handed pitchers tonight, featuring Sean Rodriguez, Kelly Shoppach, Dan Johnson, and the switch-hitting Elliot Johnson. The lineup according to TBO Rays:
Sam Fuld LF
Johnny Damon DH
Evan Longo 3B
Ben Zobrist RF
B.J. Upton CF
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Kelly Shoppach C
Dan Johnson 1B
Elliot Johnson SS
It appears Rays manager Joe Maddon has decided to slot Casey Kotchman and Dan Johnson into a straight platoon. Johnson, who has shown a neutral split throughout his career, appears to be the historically better hitter, but with Kotchman hitting well lately, the Rays are probably eager to find any spots for him to play.