by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (5/7/2013) Rays outfielder Ben Zobrist returned to the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against Toronto after missing the past two outings for personal reasons. Zobrist, who has posted multiple hits in four of his past six games, took his usual spot as the No. 3 hitter for Tampa Bay.
Ben Zobrist away from Rays
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (5/5/2013) Rays utilitly player Ben Zobrist has left the team due to the death of his grandmother, the Tampa Bay Times reports Sunday. Zobrist will not go on the bereavement list, however.
Zobrist, who should miss Sunday and Monday's games, likely will return Tuesday against Toronto.
Zobrist is batting .261 on the year with three homers and 21 RBI. He's 9 for 27 (.333) over his last six games with two of those homers and six RBI.
Ben Zobrist scoring for Rays
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/4/2013) After batting .391 (9 for 23) in the previous five games, Ben Zobrist did not have the same success Saturday night against the Rockies but again scored a run for the Rays. He reached on a fielder's choice in his first at-bat and scored on James Loney's double.
Zobrist finished 0 for 4 with a walk in the 9-3 loss. The 31-year-old has scored seven runs in the last six games.
Ben Zobrist with back-to-back solid games
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/28/2013) Rays infielder Ben Zobrist got a start at shortstop and continued his hot hitting on Sunday at Chicago. Zobrist picked up three more hits for the Rays.
Batting third, Zobrist singled three times and drove in two runs. His single in the eighth inning scored Sean Rodriguez and made the score 4-3 Tampa Bay. He added another RBI single in the ninth.
Zobrist went 3 for 5 with a run scored and is 5 for 10 in his last two games with a homer and four RBI. He's batting .266 on the year.
Ben Zobrist hits home run No. 2
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/28/2013)Ben Zobrist had a productive night at the plate for the Rays Saturday against the White Sox. He went 2 for 5 with a homer, a walk and two runs scored in the 10-4 win.
The 31-year-old launched a two-run homer off starter Gavin Floyd in his first at-bat for his second long ball. He added a double in the sixth inning.
Zobrist is batting .247 with 17 RBI and 10 runs scored. He also has two stolen bases.
Ben Zobrist drives in two vs. A's
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist enjoyed a productive performance during Friday's series opener against the Athletics.
Zobrist singled in a run in the first and fourth innings. He finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI in an 8-3 victory. Zobrist had his first multi-hit game since April 10.
Zobrist is hitting .286/.388/.393 with a home run and 12 RBI in 56 at-bats.
Ben Zobrist productive without base hit
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/14/2013) Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist was probably the most productive offensive player among his teammates on Sunday in a 5-0 loss at Boston. Zobrist, at least, reached base twice.
Zobrist walked twice and stole a base, his first of the season, in the loss. He finished 0 for 2 and is batting .316. Zobrist has walked three times in the last two games against Boston but has gone 0 for 5 at the plate.
He has three doubles, a home run and nine RBI to this point on the year to go with a solid .400 on-base percentage.
Ben Zobrist drives in three vs. Indians
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (4/5/2013) Rays outfielder Ben Zobrist enjoyed another big night at the plate during Friday's series opener against the Indians.
Zobrist doubled in a run in the fourth and doubled in two more in the fifth. He notched his third multi-hit game of the season as he finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and three RBI in a 4-0 victory. Zobrist is hitting .467/.438/.800 through his first four games.
Ben Zobrist goes deep in opener
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/2/2013) Rays utility player Ben Zobrist batted third to open the season Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles. It was Zobrist who accounted for Tampa Bay's first run of the season in the fourth inning of the 7-4 loss.
Zobrist mashed his first home run of the season off Jason Hammel for a solo shot. He added a single and finished the game 2 for 3 with two RBI and a run scored. Zobrist added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
The 32-year-old, who played both second and in the outfield Tuesday, is off to a hot start after a poor spring training in which he batted .265 with two homers and six RBI over 49 at-bats.
Give me Ben Zobrist in all formats
by Scott White | Senior Fantasy Writer (3/15/2013) I have to disagree with my colleague, Nando Di Fino, on this one. While the Rays' Ben Zobrist's value is certainly greater in Head-to-Head than Rotisserie, he's plenty valuable in both formats. With so many middle infield spots to fill and so little quality at either second base or shortstop, getting a three-category contributor (home runs, RBI, runs scored) who's eligible at both is well worth an early-round pick. And hey, he's no slouch in steals either.
Over an ace like Yu Darvish or R.A. Dickey? With so few pitcher slots to fill, I can wait on them. Over Jose Altuve? To me, he's limited to being a two-category performer at this stage of his career.
Now, I could understand passing on Zobrist for an Adam Jones type, knowing you could get Altuve later. I might not do it myself, but I could understand it. On his own merits, though, Zobrist's going rate is, to me, reasonable.
Ben Zobrist's value depends on format
by Nando Di Fino | Senior Fantasy Writer (3/15/2013) Rays outfielder/infielder Ben Zobrist's value takes a huge leap in Points formats, as he walks a lot, keeps his strikeouts down and hits a good amount of doubles.
And he still has some value in Roto leagues: He plays a few positions and can contribute in home runs and steals, while giving an owner a decent average.
The problem lies with people transferring Zobrist's Points value over to Roto. He's being taken 53rd overall in Roto leagues, ahead of Max Scherzer, Yu Darvish, Jose Altuve, Freddie Freeman, R.A. Dickey and a host of others.
In Points leagues, that works; in Roto leagues, it's way too high. Zobrist is a good Fantasy option, but know that his value lies mostly in Points formats.
Zobrist finding zeal at the plate
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (2/26/2013) Tampa Bay infielder Ben Zobrist was admittedly lost at the beginning of the 2012 season as he posted a .205 average in April and followed that with a lowly .202 clip in May. "I was scrambling a little bit just trying to figure out how to get my hands back to where they need to be and how to figure out my bat path," he said. But his season quickly turned around after a conversation with teammate Drew Sutton regarding his swing and using that knowledge during early work with Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton. "[Having an approach that works] certainly clarifies your brain and you don't have to think as much," Zobrist told MLB.com. "For me, it's enabled me to do my work and kind of leave it there in the cage. ... I know what kind of feel I'm looking for, and I know what it's supposed to look like."
