With October rapidly approaching, any team hoping to make a run for the playoffs has to start now. Fortunately for the Tampa Bay Rays, one of the team's key players will be back to help the Rays push for the postseason.
Third baseman Evan Longoria will be returning to the lineup Tuesday after sitting out more than three months with an injury to his left hamstring.
The Rays are 56-52, seven games behind the division-leading New York Yankees, entering Tuesday night's game with the Toronto Blue Jays. But they are only two games out of a very competitive American League wild card race.
Longoria's return should bolster a Tampa Bay offense that hasn't been able to help its solid pitching staff. The three-time All-Star was batting .329 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in the 23 games he played before injury.
Will the third baseman's return spark the Rays' offense, or is it too little, too late for Tampa Bay?
