Souza, who has opened the season in a 2-for-16 (.125) slump that includes eight strikeouts, suggested that he's trying to do too much in his first opportunity to be a starter in the big leagues, the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Trying to show off a little bit instead of just calming down and sticking with the line drive approach that has gotten me here." Prior to Sunday's series finale with the Marlins, Souza had started each of the Rays' first five games. Manager Kevin Cash has written Souza's name into the second spot in the batting order each time out, but it remains to be seen if that arrangement will hold up for long if the slow start to the year drags on beyond the first couple of weeks. Even if he moves down in the order, it seems as though Souza has plenty of leash as the team's right fielder to remain an everyday player for several weeks before a change would be considered.

Souza believes that his swing is close to clicking, and he requested to play in a minor league game Monday to receive additional at-bats, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Minor injuries have slowed Souza this spring, and he's hit just .122 over 15 Grapefruit League games (12-for-41). Even with a sluggish spring, it's expected that Souza will be in the heart of the Rays' lineup, with a good hold on the everyday job in right field.

Souza (arm) returned to spring training action Wednesday, going 0-for-3. Souza was hit by a pitch on the arm Monday, but reported feeling fine after while batting Tuesday. He's struggled mightily through spring training thus far, batting just .118/.189/.324 with two home runs and six RBI in 34 at-bats.

Souza (arm) felt fine while hitting Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Souza was removed from Monday's Grapefruit League game after being hit by a pitch, but it sounds as if he'll return to games in short order. He's set to open the season as Tampa Bay's regular right fielder.

Souza reported feeling fine after being removed from Monday's spring training game following being hit by pitch on the arm, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Tribune reports. Per the report, Souza was scheduled to come out of the game after that at bat anyway, so it appears there's not too much to worry about. The 25-year-old may be held out for a day or two for precautionary reasons, but he appears to have dodged anything worse than just a minor setback.

Souza was removed from Monday's spring training game after getting hit by pitch on his right arm, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. It's possible the move was just a precautionary one, but a further update on Souza's status should become available after the completion of Monday's game. The timing is unfortunate, as the 25-year-old had just returned to game action after a few days off as he dealt with right forearm tightness, so it's possible he could have re-aggravated that issue.

Souza (forearm) is back in the starting lineup Monday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports. He'll handle right field in Monday's game, while the return is two days earlier than expected. Souza is apparently feeling much better, which falls in line with the MRI that came back negative on his arm late last week.

The MRI on Souza's forearm Friday came back clean, the Tampa Tribune reports. The MRI was considering to be only precautionary but, still, the results come as a relief to the Rays, as well as Souza owners. He's slated to begin the season as a starter in the Tampa Bay outfield, despite struggling through limited work in spring training. Last season at Triple-A Syracuse, Souza hit .350/.432/.590 with 18 homers in 96 games.

Souza will undergo an MRI due to right forearm tightness, according to Marc Tompkin of the Tampa Bay Times The MRI is being called precautionary, so prospective owners should adjust their level of concern accordingly. Souza, who was is to begin the year with a starting job in the Rays' outfield, has struggled this spring, tallying just three hits in 23 at-bats.

Souza, who is positioned to open the season as the Rays' primary right fielder, has slumped through eight Grapefruit League games this spring, going 3-for-24 with eight strikeouts. The sample size is small and the results are largely meaningless in spring training, but Souza has a clear path to everyday at-bats at the big league level for the first time in his career in Tampa Bay. If he were to struggle for a prolonged stretch once the games begin to count, the Rays could consider giving more playing time to David DeJesus, who appears to be a spare part in the team's current outfield configuration with Souza and Desmond Jennings flanking Kevin Kiermaier.