Jeff

Keppinger

It figured that Keppinger would be up on Sept. 1 anyway, but Shane Costa would have been a better choice now, especially with both Esteban German and Andres Blanco still on the roster. Keppinger was hitting .354/.407/.465 in 32 games for Omaha since arriving in a trade with the Mets. The Royals are trying to make him into a utilityman -- they blocked him at second base by signing Mark Grudzielanek to an extension -- and they’ll probably give him most of what few at-bats German was receiving. It still might not result in any fantasy value at all.

It was as cheap of a homer as you’ll see in a major league ballpark, landing in the first row of seats just to the left of the Pesky Poll at Fenway Park. Keppinger had entered the game two innings earlier as a pinch-runner for Mike Sweeney. He’s due to get some playing time at third with Mark Teahen out, but Esteban German, who had two more hits tonight, is doing his best to prevent it from happening.

Keppinger admitted that he has never batted cleanup before, not even in high school or college. It’s a bit of an unusual setup, but manager Joe Maddon has never been afraid to do something unconventional with his lineup, and Keppinger does have an .852 career OPS against left-handed pitching. The Rays are squaring off against CC Sabathia Friday.

The off night started in the first inning when he harmlessly popped out with no outs and the bases loaded; the Rays failed to score that inning, which turned out to be costly. And trailing 3-2 in the seventh, he lined into a double play with two on and no outs. In all, he left six runners on base.

It’s Pena’s first scheduled off day of the season. Jeff Keppinger will get the start at first base against the left-handed Brian Matusz.

Keppinger was placed on the restricted list earlier this week in order to attend to his divorce case. The 32-year-old is back in the starting lineup as the DH Thursday against the Yankees.

Scott left Sunday’s game due to the injury. He doesn’t think he’ll be out for long, so it’s probably safe to call him day-to-day right now. Jeff Keppinger will serve as the club’s designated hitter on Tuesday against the Tigers.

Keppinger was placed on the restricted list Tuesday night so that he could deal with his personal matters. Rays manager Joe Maddon indicated to reporters that Keppinger will be back either Thursday or Friday.

The Rays aren’t giving out many details, only saying that Keppinger is expected back eventually. They’ve called up Brandon Guyer in a corresponding roster move.

Evan Longoria is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a partial tear of his left hamstring, so Rays manager Joe Maddon will use a mix-and-match approach at third base. Rhymes, Elliot Johnson, Sean Rodriguez and Jeff Keppinger all figure to draw starts. It’s a situation to avoid for fantasy owners.