Casey Kotchman
1B FA
Sun 8/28/11 10:28 AM

Casey Kotchman (flu) is back in the lineup Sunday. Kotchman was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup due to flu-like symptoms. He'll bat fifth against Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow.

Casey Kotchman
1B FA
Sat 8/27/11 11:14 AM

Casey Kotchman was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to flu-like symptoms. He should be fine in a day or two. Sean Rodriguez replaced Kotchman in Saturday's lineup.

Casey Kotchman
1B FA
Fri 8/12/11 9:56 PM

Casey Kotchman was one of five Rays to go deep in Friday's win over the Yankees. Kelly Shoppach, Johnny Damon, Elliot Johnson and Evan Longoria also homered. Kotchman isn't known for his power, but he has four homers in 41 at-bats this month to go along with a .439 batting average. While his batting average on balls in play is likely unsustainable, he is worth using in mixed leagues while he's hot.

Casey Kotchman
1B FA
Wed 7/20/11 10:13 PM

Casey Kotchman went 3-for-4 with a double in the Rays' shutout loss to the Yankees on Wednesday evening. With 298 plate appearances through his first 81 games this season, Kotchman is now finally qualified for the American League batting title, and his .337 average is second behind only Adrian Gonzalez's .343 mark. Simply remarkable for a player that was a career .259 hitter through his first 2,088 at-bats coming into 2011.

Casey Kotchman
1B FA
Wed 7/6/11 4:44 PM

Casey Kotchman reached four times Wednsday, going 3-for-4 with a walk against the Twins. One of his hits was a double. Kotchman is batting a cool .343 for the Rays, and while he has just three homers in 233 at-bats, he's now collected 17 doubles.

Casey Kotchman
1B FA
Thu 6/16/11 10:32 PM

Casey Kotchman doubled and ripped a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the Red Sox. The longball -- his third of the year -- came against Alfredo Aceves in the sixth inning. Kotchman continues to swing a hot bat after returning earlier this month from an ankle injury, as he's batting .391 over his last six contests and sports a surprising .339 mark for the year. He'll come back to earth eventually, but for now he's worth using even in mixed leagues if you have an injury at first base.