Rookie Outfielder Hits RBI Double in 10th After Batting Order Promotion

A rookie outfielder was moved up to the fifth spot in the batting order for a game that ended in a 3-1, 10-inning victory. The move came as the manager sought additional offensive production from an inconsistent lineup. The outfielder responded with an RBI double in the 10th inning while finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

550 slash line that included two home runs over his previous 13 games. He had batted mostly in the seventh or eighth spots for much of the season after a brief appearance in the leadoff position last month. The manager said the recent performance justified the change in placement.

"He’s not missing pitches, using the whole field, putting the ball where he needs to, going the other way when needed and that is why he’s in there today," the manager said at the stadium. 416 OPS as of April 23. The manager noted that adjustment periods can be more difficult when multiple players experience them simultaneously, especially for a newcomer or the youngest member of the group.

"There’s always an adjustment period and it makes it tougher when we have got a lot of guys going through it at the same time and you are the new guy on the team or the youngest guy," the manager said. "But what I keep telling him is, ‘Be yourself.

A left-handed pitcher has been working behind an opener.

The manager views him as a hybrid option who could be deployed in relief when the game situation requires it. "I think he’s a little bit of both," the manager said when asked whether the pitcher is considered a starter or reliever. "When he throws that many pitches out of the bullpen, you kind of treat him as a starter because he needs to rest.