Ben Zobrist RUMORS & NEWS

Tampa Tribune "Ben Zobrist left the team and returned to Illinois because of the death of his grandmother. He is not expected to rejoin the team until Tuesday. With Yunel Escobar out at least three days with a bruised left hand suffered in Saturday's game, the Rays will be shorthanded on the bench for..." May 06

Tampa Tribune "Ben Zobrist can play second base and right field and shortstop. He can play left and center fields, too. He can play first base in a pinch and third base in a real pinch. Zobrist can bat high in the order or in the middle of the order. He can hit ahead of Evan Longoria or behind him, give..." April 13

Tampa Tribune "Ben Zobrist is the lone Tampa Bay Ray named to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. David Price, the 2012 American League Cy Young Award-winner, was not among the four starting pitchers selected on Thursday, though Team USA manager Joe Torre said he would add a fifth..." January 17

Tampa Bay Times "They were the hugs heard around the Twitter-verse. Except — sorry to ruin a good tweet or two — they never happened. When 2B Ben Zobrist left Sunday's game after the third inning, there was a post on Twitter, which spread rapidly, that he was hugging teammates as he left the dugout, a sign..." August 06

Tampa Bay Times "Manager Joe Maddon has tweaked his lineup for tonight's interleague series opener against the Mets. Second baseman Ben Zobrist (hand) is out; Will "Batman" Rhymes will spell him in the order and play third, with Sean Rodriguez going to second. Zobrist has experienced soreness since taking a..." June 12

D-Rays Bay "Since the beginning of the 2009 season Ben Zobrist has put up some numbers that put him in elite company in the American League With the exception of a rather poor 2010 season Zobrist has delivered for the Rays posting a wRC+ of 125 in 2008, 153 in 2009, 103 in 2010, and 131 in 2011. He..." June 08

Tampa Tribune "Parker Lentini has been a Ben Zobrist fan from the moment Zobrist joined the Rays in 2006, so when the Make-A-Wish Foundation worked it out for Lentini to spend a day with a Ray, the 12-year-old from Carrollwood naturally picked Zobrist. "Everybody thought he was just going to go down to the..." September 04

Tampa Bay Times "Ben Zobrist wasn't in the lineup Saturday and could be out again today due to a nagging neck injury, but it isn't considered serious. Zobrist said his neck stiffened up the past few days, likely due to overswinging, leading to him getting pinch-hit for in the ninth inning of Friday's 3-2 loss..." September 04

Tampa Tribune "Ben Zobrist doubled in each of his final two at-bats during the Tampa Bay Rays' 4-0 win over Boston on Wednesday to raise his total of two-base hits this season to a major league-leading 40. His previous career-best was 28, which he did in both 2009 and 2010. "I really don't have any..." August 18

Tampa Bay Times "As of right now, who do you think has been the Rays' MVP? My guess is, the vast majority of Rays fans would answer James Shields or Casey Kotchman. Both are having exceptional, career years; Shields has posted a 2.80 ERA and thrown eight complete games, and Kotchman is making a run at the..." August 14

Tampa Tribune "The doubles and home runs, the run-scoring hits in big moments. Do they look familiar? They should. Tampa Bay Rays second baseman/right fielder Ben Zobrist looks an awful lot like the super utility Ben Zobrist who enjoyed a breakout season in 2009 and earned a spot in that summer's All-Star..." August 02

Tampa Tribune "They could have wilted in the steamy night air. They could have given into the demands of this long road trip and the fatigue that has set in by now after crossing the country twice. They could have packed it in after the Orioles rallied for the lead once against David Price, then took the lead..." June 12

Tampa Tribune "The Rays have put a chokehold on the AL Player of the Week award. UTL Ben Zobrist became the third Tampa Bay player to win it in three weeks Monday, following RHP James Shields and DH Johnny Damon, who shared the honor with Angels RHP Dan Haren. Zobrist hit .440 (11-for-25) with two home..." May 03

Tampa Tribune "It seems the Rays have a different hero every game, but that's how it is when things are going well. They get hits. They get great pitching. They get a wild pitch from the other team when they need one. That's what happened Saturday afternoon at the Trop. Los Angeles reliever Fernando Rodney..." May 01

Tampa Bay Times "John Jaso might not be at the top of the Rays lineup after all. Ben Zobrist batted leadoff Saturday for a third straight start, and the Rays are giving serious thought to using him there during the season, at least against right-handers. Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has the most walks and the..." March 13

Tampa Bay Times "First base isn't versatile Ben Zobrist's first choice for a position. But he reported to camp Saturday saying he is willing to make it his first priority this spring to get more comfortable in case he's used there. "I definitely need that experience," Zobrist said. "At the end of the year when..." February 20