Desmond

Jennings

The league has finally caught up to Tampa’s dynamic young outfielder, who is batting just .114 over his past 11 games. How quickly he gets back on track will be a great indication of how far along the career .294 minor-league hitter is in his development.

Jennings has struggled a bit lately, so he might just be getting a breather. Still, we would rather have him leading off than Sam Fuld, especially with every game so crucial in the standings right now.

Upton and Jennings were involved in a scary outfield collision during Wednesday’s game against the Marlins. Both players were carted off the field, but they were able to avoid any serious injuries. Upton has a little back soreness, but he should be good to go soon enough.

Jennings hasn’t played the field in a few days due to a sore right shoulder, but it was never a major concern. He is expected to play center field as long as B.J. Upton (back) is sidelined.

Jennings is just getting the night off. Brandon Allen will make the start in left field and bat sixth against King Felix.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Sunday that Jennings’ status was “pretty much status quo,” so this doesn’t come as a big surprise. It’s still possible he could end up on the disabled list, but the team hasn’t made a move yet. Matt Joyce will make the start in left field again Monday while Ben Zobrist plays right.

Jennings is out of the starting lineup for the seventh straight day Monday as he continues to make little progress with a left knee sprain. Since he was used as a pinch-hitter Friday, a trip to the disabled list means he wouldn’t be eligible to return until May 27. The Rays could make a move as soon as Monday night.

Jennings has made three pinch-hitting appearances since injuring his knee but is still not ready to play the field. There’s been no indication that he’ll need a DL stint, so until we hear otherwise, we’ll assume he’ll be back in the lineup before long.

Jennings, who is out of the lineup Sunday for the sixth straight game, had been feeling improvement each day, but his progress has stalled. It’s safe to say that the Rays likely would have placed him on the DL when he first suffered the injury had they known it would drag on this long. It’s still possible he could wind up on the DL. “We really thought it wasn’t going to be a normal 15-day situation, so that’s why we refrained from the DL,” Maddon said. “We’ve got to stay on top of it because we are not seeing great progress. We’re not seeing regress or progress.”

Jennings has now missed five consecutive games, but should again be available to pinch-hit. Brandon Guyer is starting in left field and batting fifth against the Orioles.