• The Jeff Niemann move last night wasn't the only one the Rays appeared set to make. Though Niemann was pushed out to clear room for 1B Dan Johnson in the immediate, the team will also activate C Dioner Navarro following the conclusion of his rehab assignment tonight for Vero Beach. To make room for Navarro, it looks like C Mike DiFelice has lost out on the battle for the backup catcher's position to Shawn Riggans. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that DiFelice was seen saying goodbye and hugging teammates following the conclusion of Sunday's game. He could be claimed on waivers as a result of the Rays' having removed him from the active roster.
• In addition, with RHP Matt Garza also soon to return, Topkin speculates that OF Justin Ruggiano will be sent down later this week to make room for him. RHP Andy Sonnanstine was moved forward in the rotation one day to fill Niemann's slot, while it appears as though Garza will start the opening game of the Boston series on Friday. Also on the injury front, IF Ben Zobrist took BP at the Naimoli Complex, but is still a few weeks from returning.
• Some snippets from Marc Lancaster's Notes column in the Tribune:
The Rays say they are expecting attendance for the three-game series at Disney that begins Tuesday to be similar to last year's numbers. Three games against the Rangers last May drew an average of 8,806 fans. ... With Johnson joining the team, Maddon said he may give Carlos Pena another game or two at DH to make sure his right hamstring is fully healthy. Pena still appeared to be favoring his leg Sunday. ... The Rays are not believed to have serious interest in Frank Thomas, who was released by the Blue Jays on Sunday.

• Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reports that newly acquired 1B Dan Johnson will report to the Rays today. At that time, the team will have to make a roster move to make room for him on the active roster. RHP Calvin Medlock was already designated for assignment on Friday to make room for Johnson on the 40 man roster, but the rumor is that OF Justin Ruggiano will be demoted to AAA Durham make room for Johnson at the major league level.
  
• Struggling SS Jason Bartlett will get a day off today as Manager Joe Maddon tries to help him break out of a slump that saw him make four errors in eight games. The shortstop said he experienced soreness in his arm that could possibly be the reason for his recent spate of throwing errors, though he'll still need to do far better offensively. He was hitting .230/.230/.237 going into last night's game, a line that rose marginally after a 1 for 3 campaign. IF Elliot Johnson will start in Bartlett's place this afternoon. With an off day coming on Monday, Bartlett will get two days to rest up before the Rays' series with the Toronto Blue Jays starting on Tuesday in Orlando.
• 1B Carlos Peña will likely be the Designated Hitter in this afternoon's game against Chicago, per Maddon's wishes. He too will get Monday to rest and could be back at first base for the Orlando series.
• LHP David Price threw a successful bullpen session on Saturday afternoon at the Naimoli complex as his recovery from a left elbow injury continues.
• The focal point of Marc Topkin's Sunday column this week is, not surprisingly, the long-term deal that the Rays reached on Friday with 3B Evan Longoria. Explains Rays VP Andrew Friedman of the underlying strategy:

We're always going to have to manage our roster years and years in advance to be able to compete in this division. It's the way the economics of the game are right now, and it's something that instead of feeling sorry for ourselves we've got to be proactive and do anything and everything we can to succeed.

• The reaction from fellow players and their agents was, not surprisingly, rather negative. Quoth Alan Nero:

I give the Rays a lot of credit because they did what's hard to do anymore, which is make a heck of a business deal; they controlled their costs and extended their control. I'm happy for Longoria if it's what he wants, but I'm a little disappointed that a player with seven days (in the majors) would give away his future like that.

• Other interesting morsels from Topkin's Sunday column:

How does Evan Longoria's contract affect B.J. Upton's view of a potential long-term deal? "It doesn't," Upton said. … Former longtime Ray Toby Hall on the new uniforms and Trop paint job: "It's awesome. It all looks great." … Friday morning's advisory of a 1 p.m. "major announcement" drew calls asking if the Rays were signing Barry Bonds, including one from a curious MLB official. … Ex-Ray Shawn Camp, having added a changeup, got called up by Toronto and should be in the Jays bullpen at Disney.

This Thursday last, I had the opportunity for about twenty minutes to discuss Rays-centric Fantasy Baseball with ESPN expert Matthew Berry. Now, I know there was some discontent a couple of nights ago about his projection for Rays 3B Evan Longoria, but it is worth noting that I didn't really ask him about that since the interview took place before his call-up.

Anyways, I found the interview to be well worth it. Berry definitely understands what he's talking about, and even though some of his more pessimistic views of Rays personnel might clash with some opinions here, the encyclopedic knowledge he possess of players is to be respected. He was well-prepared and well-informed in answering each of the questions I posed to him. For someone not that familiar with his work, I came away impressed.

In any case, the paraphrased interview follows the jump.

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AAA Durham Bulls (1-3)

BULLS 5, Toledo 4-3B Evan Longoria grounded into a double play and remained hitless on the season, but thankfully the other members of the Durham lineup didn't share the same luck as the Bulls won their first game of the year. The good news for Longoria was that he did reach base twice, on his first two walks of the year, and scored a run. Otherwise, the Durham offense was led by DH Fernando Perez and CF Justin Ruggiano, who each had 2 for 4 days. One of Perez's two hits was an RBI double, and he also drew a walk and stole a base. Also going 2 for 4 was LF Joel Guzman, who walked and drove in two of Durham's five runs, including the game winner in the ninth. Unfortunately for Guzman, he also made two errors in left field. SS Reid Brignac grounded into a double play and had just one hit among his five at bats, but it was a double.

Making his debut this season for the Bulls was RHP Chris Mason, who had a relatively successful outing. Throwing 76 pitches on the day, Mason gave up two unearned runs on three hits, one hit batsman, and one walk over 4.1 innings of work, while also striking out four. RHP Nick DeBarr followed him and gave up two runs in 1.1 innings of work, but RHPs Scott Munter and Grant Balfour closed out the game with 3.1 shutout innings.

BULLS Up Next-at Columbus, 7:05 ET (LH Mike Prochaska)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (2-2)

Chattanooga 8, BISCUITS 4 (8)-LHP James Houser had a decent first start for Montgomery, but a relative lack of offense and a sloppy defensive effort relegated the Biscuits to defeat in the first game of a double-header. Houser gave up just one earned run in five innings of work, but he gave up three unearned runs thanks to two Montgomery errors. He gave up just two hits and no walks while striking out five, though he did hit a batter. LHP Jino Gonzalez pitched two scoreless innings following Houser's departure, but RHP Jeremy Flanagan took the loss after giving up the four winning Lookout runs in the "extra" eighth inning.

Offensively, the Biscuits could manage only five hits. 1B Rhyne Hughes had an especially bad day, going 0 for 3 with two of Montgomery's three errors. He did garner a walk and score a run though. 3B Chris Nowak had one hit, a two run homer in the fourth, and scored once more when he reached on a Chattanooga error. DH Gaby Martinez and C Matt Spring each had one hit, while had an RBI single.

BISCUITS 10, Chattanooga 1 (7)-The Biscuits' offense exploded for 10 runs on 11 hits as Montgomery routed the Chattanooga Lookouts in the second game of Sunday's double-header. C John Jaso and 1B Rhyne Hughes had two hits, each of which included a solo home run, and Hughes drew a walk as well to atone for his sins in the first game of the double-header. Even though Montgomery put up prolific numbers on the scoreboard, those two were the only players with multiple hits on the day. DH Sergio Pedroza and 3B Chris Nowak each had one hit, in Nowak's case a double, while LF Gaby Martinez reached base three times on one hit and two walks. He scored each time he reached. 2B Josh Asanovich had a three run homer and drew a walk to round out the lineup.

On the mound, RHP Richard De Los Santos pitched five shutout innings for the Biscuits before ceding control to RHP Wade Townsend and LHP Jon Barratt. Townsend's first appearance of the season was not a successful one, as he gave up one run on a hit and a walk. Barratt closed out the ballgame with a scoreless inning of work.

BISCUITS Up Next-vs Chattanooga, 8:05 ET (LH Mike Wlodarczyk)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (3-1)

Daytona 9, V-RAYS 4-RHP Matt Walker made his return to the mound for Vero Beach, tossing four shaky innings as the V-Rays suffered their first loss of the season. Walker gave up three runs (two earned) over four innings of work, walking two and giving up four hits while striking out three. RHP Chris Kelly and LHP Ryan Morse followed Walker and proceeded to give up the other five Daytona runs in four collective innings. LHP Ryan Owen pitched a scoreless ninth.

Meanwhile on offense, four Vero Beach players had two hits on Sunday. 2B Chase Fontaine, 3B Cesar Suarez, DH J.T. Hall, and C Christian Lopez were those players, though only Lopez had an extra base hit (a double). Suarez drove in a run and walked, though he also had a throwing error. Fontaine walked as well, as did PH Garrett Groce. LF Ryan Royster went hitless, while CF John Matulia went 1 for 5 with a run scored and two RBI.

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Daytona, 7:00 ET (LH Brandon Mann)

A- Columbus Catfish (1-3)

Savannah 4, CATFISH 3 (7)-RHP Josh Johnson gave up all four Savannah runs during his four inning start, and it would be all that the Sand Gnats would need as the Columbus offense mustered up only three hits in the first game of a double-header. Johnson gave up three earned runs on four hits and two walks in his first start of the season, giving way to RHP Jesse Darcy for the final three innings. Darcy pitched three perfect innings for Columbus with two strikeouts.

The Catfish fell just short offensively despite their three hit day, thanks to plenty of walks. CF Emeel Salem went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, while 1B Henry Wrigley hit an RBI double and walked to lead the offense.

CATFISH 5, Savannah 0 (7)-RHP Jason Ragan threw for five of the Catfish pitching staff's seven shutout innings as Columbus notched their first win of the season in the second game of a double-header. Ragan gave up just three hits and a walk while striking out four; two Columbus pitchers combined to go the rest of the way.

On offense, CF Emeel Salem led the way with a walk, a run scored, and three stolen bases. RF Reid Fronk was also productive, hitting a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the third inning as the Catfish took control early. LF Stephen Vogt doubled, while C Michael McCormick went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored.

CATFISH Up Next-at Rome, 7:00 ET (RH Jeremy Hall)

AAA Durham Bulls (0-3)

Toledo 6, BULLS 1-3B Evan Longoria totaled up another hitless day for Durham as the Rays' AAA affiliate dropped their third straight to open the season. Longoria, who has not yet drawn a walk or garnered a hit through the Bulls' first three games, joined a parade of Durham hitters that were unable to muster much of an offensive effort off of Mud Hens pitching. Also going hitless on the day for Durham was CF Fernando Perez, who finished 0 for 4. RF Justin Ruggiano had an RBI single and LF Joel Guzman had the only extra base hit of the game, a double, for Durham.

On the hill, RHP Jae Kuk Ryu got the start for the Bulls and took the loss, surrendering three Toledo runs on four hits in four innings of work while walking one and striking out three. Two of the runs that he surrendered came on a two-run homer in the first, and his outing concluded with him having thrown just 73 pitches. Ryu was followed up by RHPs Dale Thayer and Scott Munter, who each threw 1.1 scoreless innings. LHP Brian Henderson made his first appearance in Triple A after multiple years at Double A Montgomery, and things didn't go so well for him. After getting one out in the seventh, he came back on to start the eighth only to be greeted by an onslaught from the Toledo lineup. He ended up up surrendering three runs on four hits in the eighth, including a two-run homer, and allowed Toledo to grab some extra insurance runs to seal away the ballgame. RHP Calvin Medlock relieved him and pitched a perfect eighth inning following his departure to prevent any further damage.

BULLS Up Next-at Toledo, 2:00 ET (RH Chris Mason)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (1-1)

BISCUITS 8, Chattanooga 5-Montgomery rebounded from a washed-out day off on Friday and evened up their record at 1-1 as Wade Davis threw a shaky five innings of work for the Biscuits. The Rays' highly touted pitching prospect gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings of work, striking out just one in the process. Nonetheless, Davis picked up his first win of the season in his debut start of 2008. The Biscuits' bullpen was able to hold the lead following his departure up until the ninth, when RHP Eduardo Morlan threw a perfect inning to pick up his first save of the year.

Offensively, the Biscuits lineup produced a fairly solid collective line, even if their individual marks in the box score weren't quite as pretty. C John Jaso and DH Gaby Martinez each had RBI singles for Montgomery, while RF Sergio Pedroza drew two walks to reach base a total of three times on the evening. Pedroza was also caught stealing, however, and Jaso committed his first miscue of the year on a throwing error. 3B Chris Nowak and 1B Rhyne Hughes were each held hitless for Montgomery, though Nowak did drive in a run via a sacrifice fly and Hughes drew a walk.

BISCUITS Up Next-Double-header vs Chattanooga, 3:05 ET (LH J. Houser, RH R. De Los Santos)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (3-0)

V-RAYS 4, Daytona 3-Vero Beach rallied for three in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Daytona Cubs on Saturday night, thus preserving their standing as the only undefeated team in the Rays organization. CF John Matulia had two hits for the Devil Rays, one of which was a double, and stole two bases while LF Garrett Groce went 1 for 4. RF Ryan Royster went two for four with a solo home run; he also drove in the tying run and scored the winning run on a phenomenal night for him. C Nevin Ashley added a hit for V-Rays.

On the hill, RH Josh Butler made his season debut for the Vero Beac and tossed a good ballgame. The second round pick of the Rays in the 2006 draft gave up just three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking one and striking out four. He recorded a 9:4 groundball to flyball ratio. RH Wilton Noel tossed the final three shutout innings for Vero Beach to earn the win.

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Daytona, 1:00 ET (LH Ryan Morse)

A- Columbus Catfish (0-2)

Savannah at CATFISH, PPD-Saturday night's game between the host Columbus Catfish and the visiting Savannah Sand Gnats at Golden Park was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a double-header this afternoon in Columbus, with the first game starting at 1pm EDT. The second game will begin approximately thirty minutes following the conclusion of the first. Both games will last seven innings.

CATFISH Up Next-Double-header vs Savannah, 1:00 ET (RH Josh Johnson, RH Jesse Darcy)

AAA Durham Bulls (0-2)

Toledo 9, BULLS 2-The Toledo Mud Hens jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning, and the Bulls would not recover as they dropped their second in a row to start the season. CF Fernando Perez and RF Justin Ruggiano each had two hits in five at bats for the Bulls, including a double for Ruggiano. SS Reid Brignac went hitless in four at bats for the Bulls, but did draw a walk. 3B Evan Longoria went 0 for 4 and struck out, while 1B Joel Guzman doubled, his only hit in four at bats.

On the hill, RH Mitch Talbot took the loss for Durham, giving up three runs (two earned) in just four innings of work, surrendering eight hits and no walks while striking out two. He threw just 67 pitches as the Rays try to ease their starting prospects into the season. RH Ben Hendrickson gave away the farm for the Bulls; he was charged with six runs in just 2.2 innings of work. RH Nick DeBarr closed out the ballgame with a scoreless 1.1 inning stint.

BULLS Up Next-at Toledo, 7:00 ET (RH Chris Mason)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (0-1)

Chattanooga at BISCUITS, PPD-The scheduled game Friday evening between the Biscuits and Chattanooga Lookouts was postponed due to heavy rain in Montgomery, Alabama.  The game will be made up as part of a double-header on Sunday afternoon, with the first game beginning at 3:05 ET. The second game will follow, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be seven inning affairs.

BISCUITS Up Next-vs Chattanooga, 8:05 ET (RH Wade Davis)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (2-0)

V-RAYS 5, St. Lucie 3-RF Garrett Groce had a solo home run among his two hits while RHP Jeremy Hellickson tossed five innings of one-run baseball as Vero Beach remained the only undefeated team in the Rays organization. SS Jairo De La Rosa had three hits for the Devil Rays and drove in two runs, while CF John Matulia had a double among his two hits. LF Ryan Royster also homered for Vero Beach.

On the mound, meanwhile, Hellickson had a superb outing to open his season. He surrendered just five hits, including a home run. The solo shot was the only run the visiting Mets would get all day off of Hellickson, as the right-hander walked none and struck out five. LH Ryan Morse followed Hellickson and gave up the final two St. Lucie runs before RHs Chris Kelly and Neal Frontz combined for four strikeouts and two shutout innings to finish off the ballgame.

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Daytona, 6:00 ET (RH Josh Butler)

A- Columbus Catfish (0-2)

Savannah 7, CATFISH 4-The visiting Sand Gnats scored six of their seven runs in the first four innings off of Columbus LHP Glenn Gibson and sat on the lead for the remaining five as the defending SALLY League champions lost their second in a row to start the season. Gibson would pitch only those four innings and was charged with four earned runs on five hits and one home run, walking one and striking out four. Three Catfish relievers would combine to limit the Sand Gnats to just one run following Gibson's departure.

Offensively, the Catfish picked it up a notch from the previous day, when they were one-hit in a shutout loss to the same team, but they still didn't produce enough to overcome the early deficit. LF Reid Fronk went three for four with two runs scored for Columbus, while stealing three bases. C Mike McCormick was the only other Columbus player to record multiple hits; he also had three, including a double, but also committed a throwing error. DH Stephen Vogt accounted for half of the Catfish's runs with a two-run shot in the sixth inning, his only hit of the night. CF Emeel Salem grounded into a double play, part of an 0 for 4 night in which he also drew a walk.

CATFISH Up Next-vs Savannah, 7:00 ET (RH Josh Johnson)