Souza's day off Sunday wasn't related to any lack of effort on his part, but rather, due to manager Kevin Cash wanting to give him a day away from the game's mental rigors, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "He's probably putting a lot of pressure on himself to come through. You can tell the frustration a little bit with him."

EDGE Analysis

Like most of his teammates, Souza is enduring a generally tough season at the plate, and had gone 1-for-15 over the four games before Sunday. The 27-year-old had also been pulled from Tuesday's game for a lack of effort, but his latest absence solely due to Cash feeling like Souza would benefit from an extra day off in addition to the four that the All-Star break will bring. Souza enters the season's midway point slashing .251/.308/.431 with 11 doubles, a triple, 10 homers and 27 RBI.