Evan Longoria, Jeff Keppinger to Begin Rehab Assignments

Tampa Bay Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria and second baseman Jeff Keppinger are expected to begin rehab assignments at Triple-A Durham on Saturday, reports Adam Berry of MLB.com:

Longoria (partially torn left hamstring) will use Friday as a workout day while Keppinger (broken big right toe) serves as the Bulls' designated hitter. On Saturday, Keppinger will play the field and Longoria will be Durham's DH.

Prior to hitting the DL, Longoria was batting .329/.433/.561 with four home runs in 97 plate appearances. The tag team of Sean Rodriguez, Will Rhymes and Drew Sutton have filled in at third in Longoria's absence.

In first place with a 15-8 record at the time of Longoria's injury, the Rays have gone 20-20 since he hit the DL on May 1st and now sit in third place. And though Longoria is making progress, the Rays still have no timetable for the 2008 Rookie of the Year and the three-time All-Star's return to the team.