|
|
| The St. Petersburg Times reports that Rays first baseman Carlos Pena underwent successful surgery on his two broken fingers on Thursday. |
Our View: A full recovery is expected for Pena in eight to ten weeks. He can then resume baseball activities and will be ready to go for spring training 2010. He finished the season with an AL-high 39 homers and also drove in 100 runs despite just a .227 average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has been diagnosed with fractured middle and index fingers, and he is done for the season, according to Rays' beat writer Marc Lancaster. The team has placed him on the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Chris Richard. |
Our View: Wow. This is terrible news for the Rays and for any chance they still had at getting into the playoffs. Pena will finish the season with 39 homers and 100 RBI.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena left Monday afternoon's game after the first inning with an apparent wrist injury. He was replaced at first base by Willie Aybar. |
Our View: Pena looked bad on a check swing, and his wrist was n obvious pain. We will update you on the seriousness of the injury, but he is done for Game 1 of the doubleheader.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to Boston at Tropicana Field. |
Our View: Pena continues to lead the AL with 39 homers, and needs one more to reach 40 for the second time in his career. He paces the Rays will 98 RBI as well.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena continued his hot month of August with a huge day at the plate on Monday. Pena went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and four RBI. Pena now has 38 homers and 96 RBI on the season. |
Our View: Pena is still hitting only .223 on the season, but the rest of his numbers have been more than impressive. He will go over 40 homers and 100 RBI, and fantasy owners have learned by now that it is worth putting up with the low average to reap the rewards of his power.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena singled in what turned out to be the game-winning run in the third inning on Saturday, as Tampa Bay won 3-1 in Detroit. |
Our View: Despite a robust 92 RBI, Pena is batting an embarrassing .220 this season, and he if continues to hit this poorly going forward, the RBI will dry up at some point.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-5 with two homers and four RBI in tonight's 7-3 win at Toronto. |
Our View: Pena continues to lead the AL with 37 homers, with 11 coming this month. He now has 200 homers for his career as well.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-2 with three RBI in tonight's 12-7 win at Toronto. He hit a two-run homer off Roy Halladay. |
Our View: Pena launched his ninth homer of August, and continues to lead the AL with 35 for 2009. He is two homers away from the 200th of his career.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena had a monster night for the Rays on Saturday as they defeated the Rangers 5-4 in ten innings. Pena went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, and four RBI, including the game winner in the tenth. |
Our View: Pena has 34 homers on the season, and he did it all for the Rays tonight. He is boom or bust for the most part, but anyone with power like his can be an excellent fantasy player. He won't help your average, but the power is worth it.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena blasted two home runs in a losing effort against the Angels on Wednesday. His two-run shot in the fourth and solo shot in the sixth game him 31 on the season. |
Our View: Pena's power is legit, and he may win the home run crown in the AL this season, but his .216 average makes fantasy owners wretch. Make sure if he's in your lineup you have a couple of high-average guys to balance things out.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer off Brad Penny in tonight's 6-4 win over Boston at Tropicana Field. |
Our View: Pena collected his first homer of August, and is now currently tied with Mark Teixeira for second in the AL with 27. He should remain a strong source for power if fantasy owners can handle his poor .215 batting average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena is getting a day off on Saturday against the Royals. Willy Aybar will start at first base, the Tampa Tribune confirms. |
Our View: Pena went deep on Friday, but he closed out July with a .146 average in the month. He has played in 102 of 103 games and the day off is probably a good thing.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer off Sidney Ponson in tonight's 8-2 win over the Royals at Tropicana Field. |
Our View: Pena is now currently tied with Justin Morneau and Mark Teixeira for the AL lead with 26 homers. He should remain a strong source for power if fantasy owners can handle his dismal .217 batting average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena tripled and belted his 25th homer of the season in the Rays' 12-inning 10-9 win over Toronto on Saturday. He finished the day 2-for-6 with four RBI. |
Our View: The Rays announced earlier today that they were dropping Pena to sixth in the order to try and get his power stroke going again and give him more RBI opportunities. Looks like it paid off. The homer was Pena's first since July 10th.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has been moved down in the order for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, according to the Twitter page of Rays' beat writer Marc Lancaster. |
Our View: Pena will be hitting sixth in the order today, and maybe the move will get the power stroke going for Pena and the Rays. This doesn't look to be a permanent move, as Pena and Pat Burrell are expected to alternate between the fifth and sixth spots in the order, but if it is it could have an impact on his fantasy value.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena is out of the Rays' lineup for tonight's game at Chicago, according to Marc Topkin's (of the St. Petersburg Times) twitter page. |
Our View: Willy Aybar will cover first base in his place. Adjust your lineups accordingly. So unfortunately the power hitter will not be in action at launching pad U.S. Cellular Field.
|
|
|
|
| Marc Lancaster, the Rays' beat writer, is reporting on his Twitter page that first baseman Carlos Pena has been chosen to replace Dustin Pedroia on th AL All-Star roster. Pena will also compete as the final AL member of the Home Run Derby on Monday night. |
Our View: Pena is a home run machine, and although he didn't make the original team, he looks to be an excellent addition. He has 24 homers and 58 RBI on the season.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-3 with a solo homer off Vin Mazzaro in tonight's 6-0 win over Oakland at Tropicana Field. |
Our View: Pena collected his first homer of July, and continues to lead the AL with 24. He should remain a great source for power if fantasy owners can deal with his .233 batting average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena led the way for the Rays' offense on Thursday afternoon as his team beat the Blue Jays 3-2. Pena went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. |
Our View: Pena knocked a big RBI double in the fifth inning to give the Rays a lead they would never give up. It is nice to see him do something besides hitting home runs, but as long as the power is there fantasy owners won't be complaining.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena belted his 23rd home run of the season on Saturday, going 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. |
Our View: You'll continue to get the good and the bad with Pena. He'll struggle to do much better than the .247 batting average he logged last year, but he should again be able to approach 100 RBI and looks like he'll easily surpass the 31 home runs from last year and possibly record the second 40-homer campaign of his career.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena pounded his 22nd home run of the year on Satuday as the Rays beat the Mets 3-1. Pena went 1-for-3 with the solo shot. |
Our View: Typical Pena performance, as he only got one hit but it was a long ball. He is leading the AL in homers with 22, and he is doing exactly what fantasy owners have come to expect from him. He won't give you average, but homers and RBI will always be there.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-5 with a solo homer off Josh Fogg in Tuesday's 12-4 win at Colorado. |
Our View: Pena collected his fourth homer of June, and his AL-leading 21st of the season. He should remain a strong source for power in fantasy leagues.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-4 with a solo homer off Jordan Zimmermann in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Nationals at Tropicana Field. Hit other hit was a single. |
Our View: Pena has a homer in three of his last four games, and leads the Rays with 20. He should remain a strong source for power in fantasy leagues.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena led the Rays in Thursday's 11-1 win over the Angels at Tropicana Field, as he went 1-for-3 with four RBI. He crushed a three-run homer off Rich Thompson. |
Our View: Pena has homered in back-to-back games against the Angels, and now co-leads the AL (with Mark Teixeira) with 19 home runs.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit his 17th home run of the season against the Twins on Sunday, going 1-for-4 with a solo shot. |
Our View: Pena's batting average, now at .231, continues to plummet from the beginning of the season, though his value comes in his power, something he's continued to provide and that he should remain one of the best in the league at going forward.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went yard again on Tuesday, as he accounted for all of the Rays' runs in their 5-1 loss to the Indians. Pena was 1-for-4 with the solo shot. |
Our View: Typical performance by Pena tonight. He was only 1-for-4, but that one hit was a home run as usual. It is pretty easy to predict what Pena will do when healthy: he will hit .250 and will have a large number of homers and RBI.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena will not start for the Rays on Saturday, according to the St. Petersburg Times. |
Our View: Those in leagues with daily lineup changes can quickly replace Pena with someone off their bench. There's no need to worry about Pena, as he's been fine with two home runs in his past three games. He had started every one of Tampa Bay's games this month, and given that the Rays have had just one off day in May, it's not surprising that he was given a day to come off the bench. He should be available as a pinch hitter.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs, and two RBI in the Rays' 7-6 loss to the A's on Wednesday. |
Our View: Pena is a legit power option in all leagues. He is a typical power hitter who strikes out a bunch and doesn't hit for much average, but the homers and RBIs will always be there. He is a strong play in all leagues, but don't expect him to hit much above .260 or so.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts as the Rays beat the Yankees 8-6 on Thursday. He made his one hit count though as it was his 13th home run of the season. |
Our View: Pena is slugging .688 this season despite whiffing 37 times in 109 at bats. Regardless of all the strikeouts, you can't deny Pena's monstrous power numbers that he's produced through 29 games this season.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Saturday's 10-6 loss to the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. He hit a solo home run and a single. |
Our View: Pena has crushed a homer in back-to-back games against the AL East rival Red Sox, and currently leads the majors with 11.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena was 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored as the Rays beat the Twins 7-1 on Monday. |
Our View: Sure, he's only hitting .257 and has 23 strikeouts, but Pena has a staggering nine home runs through 74 at bats. At this rate, his positive power production heavily outweighs his negative batting average.
|
|
|
|
| The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that Carlos Pena is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the A's. This is a routine day off for Pena. |
Our View: Pena is leading the league in homers so far in 2009, but he gets a day off today. He has eight home runs and 21 RBI, but he has struck out 22 times and is hitting .243. If you have Pena on your team, you know what you are getting: power and RBI but little to nothing in the way of average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena bombed two more homers on Friday to lead the Rays to a 8-2 victory over the A's. Pena had four RBI and two runs in the game. He now has eight home runs on the season. |
Our View: Pena is absolutely destroying the ball so far in 2009, with eight home runs and 21 RBI. His average is low at .254, but he is not a guy who will ever hit for a high average. His home run and RBI potential is sky high, and his fantasy value is huge right now.
|
|
|
|
| First baseman Carlos Pena socked his sixth home run of the season on Friday night, a solo shot off of Bartolo Colon. He has gone deep in five of the last six games. |
Our View: It's never hard to tell when Carlos is seeing the ball well. He has tremendous power, and these streaks are always possible with a free-swinger like him. Just know that a strikeout-filled slump is almost sure to follow at some point.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-2 with two walks and home run, his fifth of the year, against the White Sox on Thursday. |
Our View: Pena went 0-for-4 on Opening Day but hasn't been held hitless since, accounting for a nine-game hit streak. After a monster 2007 campaign, Pena fell off a bit in 2008, belting 31 home runs (15 fewer than in 2007) and logging a sub-.250 batting average. Pena has been great so far in 2009 and appears poised to look closer to his 2007 form this year.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena ripped his fourth home run of the season on Wednesday as the Rays fell to the Yankees 4-3. The homer was a solo shot and also his only hit on the day. |
Our View: Pena now has four home runs in nine games this season and looks to be a big power threat again this season. Don't expect much in the average department though.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena had a home run and two doubles on his way to posting six RBI in a 15-5 win over the Yankees on Monday. |
Our View: Pena has a hit in each of his last six games, including three home runs. He had just four RBI in 63 at bats against the Yankees a season ago.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit a three-run blast in his only at-bat in Saturday's 9-7 win over Philadelphia. He is now hitting .216 this spring. |
Our View: Pena has not had a good spring, as his average and just two home runs indicate. It's only a matter of time before he catches fire as his production is typically a roller coaster of highs and lows.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena was 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout as the Rays beat the Twins 2-1 on Wednesday. |
Our View: Pena is hitting a mere .219 this spring. Batting average and strikeouts have always been a concern regarding the power-hitting first baseman. He is a career .251 hitter, and he is prone to both cold and hot streaks. If you own him, be ready to ride out the former to reap the latter.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit his first home run of the spring in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Twins. He finished the day 2-for-3 with two RBI and a strikeout. |
Our View: Pena has not gotten hot yet this spring, as he is hitting only .233 through 30 at-bats. However, four of his seven hits have gone for extra bases so we wouldn't worry as much about the power as the average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-2 with three RBI Friday in Tampa Bay's 8-5 win over Pittsburgh. |
Our View: Fantasy owners should expect another solid season at the plate from Pena, even with concerns swirling around his damaged abdominal muscles.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena says he is feeling good following January 8 surgery to repair tears in his right and left abdominal muscles, MLB.com reports. "The recovery time was three weeks," Pena explains. "Now that I've gone through those three weeks, I feel great. I'm glad I did it." The slugger is already swinging a bat. |
Our View: Pena will miss out on the World Baseball Classic, but he should be ready for spring training and the regular season. Fantasy owners shouldn't worry about this issue affecting his value.
|
|
|
|
| It has been revealed that Carlos Pena underwent surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle earlier in January, according to the Tampa Tribune. He won't be able to represent the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. |
Our View: The procedure was considered minor, and the team did not indicate that he is in jeopardy of not being ready for spring training. We will keep you posted on the slugger's status.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena will represent the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, according to the Rays' official website. |
Our View: Pena won his first Gold Glove in 2008, and will provide a big bat to the lineup as he crushed 31 homers as well.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena won his first Gold Glove on Thursday, which just so happens to be the first Gold Glove ever awarded to a Rays player, according to MLB.com. Other infielders to win the award were C Joe Mauer, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Michael Young and 3B Adrian Beltre. |
Our View: Pena is a sweet fielder and he led AL first baseman with a .998 fielding percentage as he made just two errors on the season, meaning that he was completely deserving of the honor.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena is 0-for-10 with two walks through three games of the World Series. |
Our View: The Rays' cleanup hitter was 12-for-36 with seven walks and eight RBI through Tampa Bay's first 11 playoff games. Expect him to bust out of his slump soon, possibly tonight against Phillies' starter Joe Blanton.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit his second home run in as many games as the Rays crushed Boston 13-4 on Tuesday in Game 4 of the ALCS. He also drew two walks, scored three runs, and had two RBI. |
Our View: The first baseman's keen eye was on display in Game 4. He drew 96 walks in 490 regular season at-bats
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena had three hits and two RBI in the Rays Game 4 victory over the White Sox. |
Our View: Pena ended the series with a 5-for-10 line and two RBI in his three games of action. He can be pitched to, but if a pitcher makes a mistake and leaves one out over the plate, he rarely misses hitting it hard.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena returned to the lineup for Game 3 after missing most of Game 1 and all of Game 2 because of a scratched cornea. Pena hit third and went 2-for-5. |
Our View: Pena is very important to the Rays offense as their biggest power bat other than rookie Evan Longoria, and his return can't do anything but help a club that is on the brink of advancing to the American League Championship series.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena is expected to be back in the lineup for Sunday's Game 3 of the ALDS, according to MLB.com. Pena left Game 1 early and missed Game 2 with blurred vision as a result of a scratched cornea. "I feel pretty good," Pena said. "I think everything is back to normal. I just can't wait to get back out there and join the team. ... It's definitely healed. Today I feel as normal as I did before it happened." |
Our View: Willy Aybar had a pair of hits yesterday while filling in for Pena, but the Rays will certainly welcome their slugger back.
|
|
|
|
| Updating a previous report, Carlos Pena has been replaced by Willy Aybar in Friday's starting lineup according to the St. Petersburg Times. |
Our View: Pena was removed from Game 1 due to blurred vision and apparently it is still an issue. He was in the original lineup, but he had some trouble fielding ground balls during batting practice and said he would be re-evaluated closer to game time.
|
|
|
|
| Rays first baseman Carlos Pena is in the lineup for the team's ALDS game against the White Sox one day after being removed from the game due to blurred vision, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: Pena had to leave Game 1 after the second inning, but he is back in today and hitting third.
|
|
|
|
| Rays first baseman Carlos Pena had to leave the team's playoff game in the third inning due to blurred vision, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: Pena, who hit 31 home runs and drove in 102 runs this season, is believed to have suffered the injury sometime at his home. The injury is not considered serious and he is expected to play in Game 2.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena missed a second straight game to recover from an illness according to the AP. |
Our View: Expect the slugger to be primed and ready for Game 1 of the ALDS.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena was 0-for-3 on Monday night but he knocked in his 100th run to become just the third player in Rays history to have two, 100-RBI seasons (the others were Aubrey Huff and Fred McGriff). |
Our View: Pena is hitting .247-31-100 overall, and if not for his massive output last season (.282-46-121), no one would be complaining about his current output. The power is obviously legit, but with a career .251 average last seasons production in that category may be the gold standard for this slugger.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has been named the AL Player of the Week, according to the AP. He earned the honor by hitting .368 (7-for-19) with three home runs and 11 RBI, while leading the Rays to their first playoff berth in franchise history. |
Our View: Other nominees for the weekly award were Shin-Soo Choo (Cleveland), Joe Mauer (Minnesota), and Miguel Cabrera (Detroit). This marks the second weekly honor for Pena.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Twins. His hit went for a double. |
Our View: Pena has racked up 10 RBI over his last five games, and has 98 for the season.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit a three run shot in the fourth inning that all but sealed the victory for the Rays on Friday. His blast made the score 9-0 over the Twins. he finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk, four RBI and two runs. |
Our View: It was Pena's third home run in his last four games and his 10th in 72 career at bats against the Twins.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena managed to connect for a solo home run off of Red Sox ace Josh Beckett on Tuesday. It was his 29th home run of the season and his RBI number 89. |
Our View: Traditionally, Pena had struggled badly against Beckett but he got to him on Tuesday.
|
|
|
|
| Rays first baseman Carlos Pena goes up against Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett Tuesday in what has not been a good matchup for the slugging lefty. In his career, Pena has just two hits in 14 at-bats off the right-hander, and he has gone down on strikes in half of those at-bats. |
Our View: Pena has had a very good second half after struggling during the season's initial months, but with his awful numbers against Beckett, you may want to think about putting someone else in the lineup at first base, at least for one game.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 2-for-6 on Wednesday night including the game-winning three run home run in the top of the 14th inning against the Red Sox. |
Our View: The Rays had been one for their last 35 against the Red Sox with runners in scoring position before Pena's blast. Pena has 28 home runs and 88 RBI on the year thanks to a splendid second half that has produced 14 home runs and 41 RBI in just 50 games, so even though he will fall short of last years production (.282-46-121), he has come through when his owners need him the most.
|
|
|
|
| Rays first baseman Carlos Pena went 2-for-4 with a double in Tampa's 7-2 losing effort to the Yankees. It was his 19th two-bagger of the season. |
Our View: Pena hasn't been much in the way of batting average for fantasy owners, but he's been making up for it with OBP. In August, Pena's was .450, and his slugging percentage was .639. He continued to roll in his first September at-bats.
|
|
|
|
| The Rays and Blue Jays fought through a real barnburner this evening, sharing 11 hits between 'em as Tampa Bay pulled the 1-0 win, thanks to the bat of first baseman Carlos Pena. Pena went 2-for-3 at the dish (one of two multi-hit candidates between both teams tonight), including his 27th homer of the season to push the Rays to the win. |
Our View: Pena has matched last month's strong power numbers, hitting seven homers for 18 RBIs in July only to turn it up with eight homers and 23 RBIs thus far through August.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's 10-7 win over the Indians at Tropicana Field. He led a six-run rally in the ninth inning to pull out a hard-fought victory for the Rays. |
Our View: He has 20 homers for the season, with three coming over his last seven games. His batting average will remain low, but should remain a solid source of power down the stretch for fantasy owners.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. |
Our View: Pena's homer was his 18th of the season, with three coming over his last seven games. He should remain a solid source of power down the stretch.
|
|
|
|
| For the second consecutive game, Rays first baseman Carlos Pena hit a home run. He now has 17 on the season. |
Our View: Pena is 5-for-11 in the series against Kansas City and has three home runs in his last seven games.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena begins the second half with 14 home runs and 47 RBI, a woeful pace for a guy who hit 46 home runs with 121 RBI last season. |
Our View: Pena has hit four home runs with 16 RBI over the last 18 games, but it's clear that last season will likely end up being a career best effort. Pena could still hit 30 home runs this season which would be a nice round number for a guy who has been injured and slumping for a majority of the season.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, and provided the lone source of scoring for the Rays in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Yankees in the Bronx. |
Our View: That was Pena's 14th homer of the season, and his third over his last seven games.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's wild 7-4 loss to the Royals at Tropicana Field. His ninth inning shot tied the contest at 3-3, until the Royals rallied with four runs in the 10th inning to win 7-4, hence snapping the Rays seven-game winning streak. |
Our View: That was Pena's 13th homer of the season, and his second over his last four games. He has 10 RBI over his last seven outings as well.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena stayed hot by going 3-for-5 on Sunday against the Royals. He picked up two runs and two RBI in the process. |
Our View: Pena has 10 RBI in the nine games since his return from the DL. Pena had gotten off to a relatively disappoing start but seems to be picking it up. If he continues to make contact, he will pile up RBI in the middle of Tampa Bay's speedy lineup.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena carried the Rays in Friday's 11-2 win over the Royals at Tropicana Field, as he went 2-for-5 with five RBI. He hit a single and a three-run homer, his 12th of the season. |
Our View: He reached his highest RBI total since April 11, when he recorded six against the Orioles. He also hit his first homer since June 3.
|
|
|
|
| Updating a previous report, Carlos Pena has been activated from the 15-day DL, according to the St. Petersburg Times. To make room on the roster, utility-man Ben Zobrist has been optioned to Triple-A |
Our View: Pena had been on the shelf since June 4 with a fractured left index finger, but had progressed well through his rehab stint this past week. He was only hitting .227 over 57 games, but blasted 11 homers with 35 RBI.
|
|
|
|
| Tampa Bay expects the return of first baseman Carlos Pena to the starting lineup tonight in Pittsburgh, this according to the Tampa Tribune. Pena will be activated from the disabled list but there was no mention of who from the 25-man roster would be demoted.
|
Our View: Pena made a brief rehab appearance for Vero Beach at Sarasota on Thursday night serving as the teams designated hitter. He went 0-for-4 with a walk.
|
|
|
|
| The Tampa Tribune reports Tampa Bay first baseman Carlos Pena could rejoin the team on Friday in Pittsburgh after a one-game stint in the minors to get his timing back. |
Our View: Pena was hitting just .227 on the year, with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. His problem was making contact, as he struck out a whopping 71 times in 207 at-bats, or a little more than once every three AB.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena could be a week away from returning to the Rays' lineup as he recovers from his fractured left index finger, according to the Tampa Tribune. His injury has begun to heal and he is scheduled to participate in the team's pregame workout Tuesday at Dolphin Stadium. Pena said, "That should go very well. And then, after that, we'll set our plan to come back. If it were up to me, I'd be playing right now. But I guess there's a pattern I need to follow and a program I need to follow before I actually go out there."
|
Our View: While Pena hopes to return in time to play in the Rays' three-game set against the Pirates this weekend, there's a possibility he won't be ready until the series against the Red Sox, which begins June 30 at Tropicana Field.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena, out with a broken finger, is scheduled to take batting practice on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: If all goes well Pena could be activated toward the end of the week. Hopefully his time on the sidelines has permitted him to work out a new game plan at the plate since when disabled he was hitting a measly .227 with 71 K in 207 AB.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena is making good progress as he recovers from a fractured left index finger, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The first baseman is eligible to return this coming Thursday, and he may only need a little longer than that. |
Our View: Fantasy owners can tentatively plan to have the free-swinger back in their lineups for the week of June 23-29.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has been placed on the 15-day DL due to a fractured left index finger, according to the St. Petersburg Times. To fill his spot on the roster, the team recalled outfielder Justin Ruggiano. |
Our View: Pena suffered the injury during the first at bat of Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, when he was struck by a pitch. He later doubled and homered. Pena commented that he was fine after the game but will be reevaluated.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena had another 0-for-4 on Thursday night as he struck out twice and left five runners on base. |
Our View: Pena may be on pace for 30 home runs this season, but at a great cost considering his pathetic .223 batting average. With 65 K in less than 200 AB, he is basically mini-Ryan Howard, and this year that's not necessarily a good thing to be.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit his 10th home run of the season on Sunday night. While this should be considered an accomplishment, especially with home runs down this season, his production has significantly slipped from a year ago. |
Our View: His 1.033 OPS and 10.7 HR/AB in 2007 is Hall of Fame like compared to this season's .755 OPS and 17.7 HR Rate. Consider 2007 a career year and accept Pena's current peripherals.
|
|
|
|
| In our nightly Carlos Pena update, it's more of the same as Pena went 0-for-4 with another three K for the Rays. |
Our View: Pena now has four RBI over the last 21 games, and he has 42 K in just 115 AB, meaning that he is striking out more than a third of the time that he picks up an AB. At this point, you need to give series consideration to benching him and just leaving him there until he shows something, anything, as he is simply killing his teams.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. It was his second four-whiff effort of the year. His other such outing was April 22, also against the Blue Jays. Pena has struck out 39 times in 31 games and is hitting .207. |
Our View: Pena is testing the Rays patience. He has only one homer and four RBI over the last 20 games. We realize this is a marathon and don't want to overreact, but we can't imagine Joe Maddon will keep putting up with this work out of the clean-up spot.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena's all-or-nothing approach was evident on Sunday. The first baseman went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and three strikeouts against the Rays. |
Our View: Pena has actually looked better lately. He owns a seven-game hitting streak and hasn't been striking out quite so much. Carlos remains a useful fantasy first baseman, but we worry that his average won't reach 2007 levels.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has been slowed by hamstring tightness, which reduced him to a DH role, but Manager Joe Maddon is confident Pena can return to his first base spot on Wednesday, according to MLB.com. Pena commented, "I think I'm being smart about it. It was just a little setback. The injury has become more of a minor thing, so I'm very excited to get back out there." |
Our View: Utility man Eric Hinske was filling in at first base while Pena was out, and Hinske will return to platooning in right field. Pena will continue to provide strong power numbers, but his 24 strikeouts and .194 batting average leave a lot to be desired.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena returned from his sore hamstring on Saturday as the DH, this according to MLB.com. "I don't see anything standing in my way of coming back and playing like I always do," Pena said. "I feel pretty good. So I'm kind of excited that I feel this good." |
Our View: Count on Pena to continue to provide the long ball, though he certainly has some work to do at the plate with just a .179 average.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena won't be in the starting lineup on Friday because of his sore hamstring, but he will be available to pinch-hit, this according to MLB.com. "I went over my speed limit and got a ticket," Pena said. "MRI was negative, and I feel fine, you know. I think the only thing is to get rid of the tightness that's left and the soreness." |
Our View: Pena hopes to serve as the DH on Saturday and he appears to have escaped any long-term damage to the hamstring for the moment, so keep him active in weekly leagues unless he suffers a setback.
|
|
|
|
| The Tampa Tribune confirms that Carlos Pena will not need to go on the DL after injuring his right hamstring on Thursday night. |
Our View: We don't know how long Pena will be out, but we imagine there's an excellent chance he'll miss at least Friday's game. Eric Hinske could get the start at first base.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena left Thursday's game due to tightness in his right hamstring. "I think I went over my speed limit and my leg let me know," he informs the Tampa Tribune. "I felt some discomfort in the back of my leg behind my knee, so I pulled up when I felt it." Pena doesn't think the injury is serious. Eric Hinske could see time at first while Pena is out. |
Our View: Fantasy owners can still expect Pena to miss a day or two due to soreness. We'll update his status when more is known.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit a home run in his second consecutive game yesterday, taking Baltimore reliever Jamie Walker deep in the Rays’ 3-2 loss. Pena now has three home runs and seven RBIs in the first two games of this three-game series and has six homers through his last 11 games. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena exploded for two home runs and six RBI in the Rays 10-5 victory over the Oriolesn Friday night. Believed by many to be in line for a bit of a regression after last season's breakout, Pena has five HR and 12 RBI through 10 games, though he is hitting just .216 thanks to 14 K in 38 AB. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena had a tough day at the plate against Seattle on Thursday, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, while leaving four men on base. The Rays won 7-0 however, and his poor outing will be forgiven. His average is only at .176 now, but he has been productive with three homers and six RBI over the first nine games of the season. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena hit his first home run of the spring on Thursday. The Rays squared off against the Phillies and Pena, the comeback player of the year in '07, hit his long-ball against Chad Durbin. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has taken up right were he left off last year as Comeback Player of the Year. Pena recored two hits and an RBI in Tampa's win over Detroit on Monday. The first baseman raised his average to .500 this spring. |
|
|
|
| Manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday that his initial plan is to keep Akinori Iwamura, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena atop the batting order, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "I'm not saying it's 100 percent sure," Maddon said of the lineup. "But I'm going to take a look at that primarily in the beginning." The three left-handed batters headed up the batting order at the end of last season, when the Rays played close to .500 ball. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has agreed to a three-year deal with the Rays worth $24.1 million, according to the Tampa Tribune. The deal is pending a physical. Pena is coming off a career year, hitting .292 with 46 homers and 121 RBI, and he'll be looking to prove it wasn't a fluke. |
|
|
|
| Agent Scott Boras doesn't expect Carlos Pena to receive a multi-year contract offer from Tampa Bay this offseason, according to the Tampa Tribune. "He's got two years to go before he's a free agent, and normally those types of situations are one where they end up doing a one-year deal," said Boras, who added that he would be "all ears" if the Rays came up with a longer-term proposal he found suitable. Pena hit .282 with 46 homers and 121 RBI in 2007, and Boras would obviously like to turn that into a big contract down the road. |
|
|
|
| Devil Rays first baseman Carlos Pena hit two home runs and added seven RBI Wednesday against the Orioles. Pena now has 37 home runs and 105 RBI on the season. |
Our View: Pena is making a very solid case for fantasy MVP this season when you compare his production to his average draft position.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena was given Saturday night off, the AP reports. Joe Maddon plans to return him to the lineup Sunday. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena, in a 2-for-24 skid, was given the day off Saturday against Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia. Joe Maddon said Pena would return to action Sunday. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena has started at first base for Tampa Bay the last two games, and he could get his third straight start tonight against Minnesota's Johan Santana, according to the Tampa Tribune. Pena is 8-for-24 (.333) with three homers in his career against the lefty. "Santana's better against righties than against lefties overall, if there is such a thing," manager Joe Maddon said. "We may do it, we'll see. We may have three lefties in the lineup [tonight]." |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena signed a minor-league deal with the Devil Rays Thursday, according to MLB.com. He will compete with Ty Wigginton, Greg Norton and Hee-Seop Choi for playing time at first base. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena is close to signing a minor league deal with the Devil Rays, according to the Tampa Tribune. He would be a non-roster invitee to spring training, where he could compete with Ty Wigginton, Greg Norton and Hee-Seop Choi for playing time at first base. Pena spent most of 2006 in the minor leagues with the Yankees and Red Sox before getting a call-up in late August. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena made his first major-league start in left field Thursday, handling a couple of chances without incident. |
|
|
|
| The Red Sox purchased the contract of Carlos Pena from Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, according to the AP. He will serve as a left-handed bat off the bench and could see some action at first base. The Sox signed Pena to a minor league deal a week and a half ago. |
|
|
|
| Carlos Pena, who has yet to play in the big leagues this season, is expected to sign a minor-league contract with the Red Sox today, according to the Boston Herald. He will report to Triple-A Pawtucket and will likely be called up in September when rosters expand. Pena hit .260 with 19 homers and 66 RBI with Triple-A Columbus earlier in the year. |
|
