1. Brignac should be playing every day if he is considered a real prospect. Dillon is better suited as a bench player.

2. Dillon can fill in at 3B and 2B. It does eliminate the best backup shortstop option, but in an emergency Zobrist can fill in for part of one game and then Brignac can be recalled if needed.

3. Although with Burrell and Kapler the Rays have more righty options than they had last year, I think they prefer another one rather than another lefty bat on the bench.

4. It is possible they see more need for pinch hitters going into NL parks and may feel that Dillon is better suited to that role.

5. It should be clear by now that the Rays have worked hard to accumulate depth and that has been instrumental in the recent winning streak. They have lost Iwamura, Bartlett, Longoria briefly, Kazmir and a host of relievers and have not missed a beat because the subs have contributed. They do not want to sacrifice that depth by releasing Dillon.

6. Don’t sell Dillon short. He has generally hit for good power in the minors with a good number of walks. Brignac’s recent hot streak hardly establishes him as a better major league hitter than Dillon.

He has had four full minor league seasons, including a full one at AA in ‘07 and a full one at AAA in ’08. It’s a different argument to have, but how many years of minor league experience do these guys need before the Front Office doesn’t label them as “needs to play everyday in the minors?”

The need for a pinch-hitter in these next few games is a good point, but I honestly would be just as comfortable using Kapler as a pinch hitter against a lefty as I would Dillon. If Kapler is already starting, they will have Aybar for lefties.

So I think it’s a choice between an extra lefty pinch-hitter vs. an extra righty pinch-hitter, and only one of the two guys (Brignac) is also a solid defender.

of nitpicking to find a disagreement. There are obviously legitimate reasons to keep Dillon over Brignac. In addition to the points already made, keep in mind that Brignac’s offense regressed over the past two years, and although it improved this year he still is not hitting lefties well.

 A case could be made that Brignac should remain in the majors. But so what. It is hardly a conclusive case, so shouldn’t we agree that on balance the insight of the team probably trumps our speculations? As for Dillon being fungible, aside from the fact that he does bring some specific useful skills to the team, that is not relevant to the issue of Brignac’s placement. Dillon is here now and serves a purpose; you don’t simply release him because you figure you can replace him easily.