by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (5/19/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce was frustrated Saturday by Baltimore's exaggerated shift used against him defensively, MLB.com reports.
"The shift is tough," Joyce said. "After the first at-bat, I came in and told Joe [Maddon] I'm probably going to try and hit the ball to left field. And he said, 'No, just be you. Stay who you are. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll find the holes.'"
Joyce doubled twice by the end of Saturday's game. He also homered and drove in five RBI.
"That's what I talk about all the time. I just want him to be himself," Maddon said. "That's what we try to do to other teams. Don't let them do that to us. I always talk to our guys about dictating to the other side. I don't want them to dictate to us. So just be yourself. Go up there and swing the bat like you can, and it's all going to come back to you."
Matt Joyce has two double and a home run in win
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (5/18/2013) Rays right fielder Matt Joyce had three of his team's 10 extra-base hits in a 10-6 win over the Orioles Saturday night, including two doubles and his seventh home run. He drove in a team-high five runs.
It was the first three-hit game of the season for Joyce, who has hit .279/.380/.512 in 43 at-bats in May.
Matt Joyce terrible against lefties
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (5/6/2013) After playing in five of the previous six games, the Rays gave outfielder Matt Joyce a game off Monday against Toronto with left-hander Mark Buehrle on the hill.
Joyce is batting an ugly .067 against left-handed pitchers this season over 15 plate appearances.
Hitting .243 overall on the season, Joyce has gone 8 for 31 (.258) over his last eight games with four homers and seven RBI.
Matt Joyce's favorite month has arrived
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/2/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce continued his power surge Wednesday against the Royals, hitting a home run in a third straight game and for the fourth time in his last five games. Joyce is batting .318 (7 for 22) with four home runs and seven RBI in his last five games, raising his season average from .185 to .224.
May is the time of year where Joyce does his best work. His slash line in 74 career May games is .318/.407/.614/1.020.
Matt Joyce getting going
by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (5/1/2013) It took Rays outfielder Matt Joyce a while to get going, but it looks like he might not slow down. Joyce hit his third home run in four games, and fourth in the last eight, Tuesday, while raising his batting average to .225.
Joyce has been a solid power hitter over the last few years, with 46 homers in three seasons coming into this one, so it is not a huge surprise to see him coming to life. Fantasy owners in AL-only formats should feel comfortable keeping him active, though he is still barely playing against left-handed pitching.
Matt Joyce hits third HR in four games
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/30/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce homered Tuesday night in an 8-2 at Kansas City. Joyce hit his fifth home run off James Shields in the first inning, a two-run shot.
Joyce went 2 for 4 and is batting .225. He has homered in back-to-back games and in three of his last four.
Batting leadoff does trick for Matt Joyce
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/27/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce batted leadoff with Desmond Jennings getting a rest Friday against Chicago. Manager Joe Maddon moved Joyce atop the order to help get his slumping bat going.
Apparently, it worked for the right fielder. Joyce had a solo homer in the third inning off Jake Peavy, his third of the year. He went 2 for 5 with two RBI.
Joyce is hitting .203 but has gone 5 for 21 (.238) over his last seven games with two homers and three RBI.
Rays move Matt Joyce to leadoff in attempt to get him going
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/26/2013) The Rays moved outfielder Matt Joyce to leadoff in Friday's lineup, the club announced.
Manager Joe Maddon has used this tactic with Joyce and other slumping players in the past to get them going. Joyce is hitting just .185/.228/.315 with two home runs and a double in 54 at-bats.
Matt Joyce hits solo homer
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce supplied the only offense Saturday night against the A's. He went 1 for 3 with a home run in the 1-0 win.
The 28-year-old had a solo shot off starter Jarrod Parker in the second inning. It was his first homer since April 3.
Joyce has at least one hit in five-straight games and is batting .316 (6 for 19) in that span.
Matt Joyce's numbers not very impressive
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/17/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce collected his second multi-hit game Tuesday at Baltimore. Joyce went 2 for 4, raising his batting average from .147 to .184.
Joyce also had his first double of the season Tuesday. Unfortunately, he didn't manage an RBI and has just one through 12 games.
Matt Joyce returns to action
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/13/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce returned to the lineup by batting ninth in Saturday's extra-inning loss at Boston.
Joyce went 0 for 4 in his return from "whiplash." Joyce, who was 0 for 2 with runners in scoring position, is batting .148 on the year.
Matt Joyce back in lineup
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/13/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce got the start in left field Saturday in Boston. Joyce has been out due to a case of "whiplash," but said he's been available to play.
Joyce, who entered Saturday batting .174 (4 for 23) with a home run an RBI through eight games, hit ninth for the Rays.
Matt Joyce available if needed
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/10/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce was held out of Wednesday's lineup at Texas because he said he had "a little whiplash" after diving for a ball Tuesday, according to The Tampa Bay Times. Joyce said he was sore, but he could play if needed.
Joyce is batting .174 (4 for 23) with one home run and one RBI through eight games.
Matt Joyce belts walk-off home run
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/3/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce didn't start Wednesday's game against Baltimore, but he sure did finish it off nicely. Joyce's first home run of the season came off Tommy Hunter in the ninth inning and won the game for Tampa Bay.
Joyce stepped to the plate against Hunter in the bottom of the ninth after Baltimore tied the score in the top of the frame. He unloaded on a Hunter pitch deep into the right-field seats to win the game.
Joyce, who singled on a bunt against the pronounced shift as a pinch-hitter for Jose Lobaton in the seventh inning, finished the game 2 for 2 with two runs scored in the 8-7 win. After going 0 for 2 in the opener, Joyce is batting .500 on the year.
Matt Joyce OK after taking a tumble
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (3/24/2013) Rays outfielder Matt Joyce took a spill on Sunday at spring training camp, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Joyce, who is batting .244 this spring over 41 at-bats with an RBI and a stolen base, stumbled on the lip of the grass in the field and turned his ankle.
Joyce went to the locker room and got himself taped up.
"I'm fine," Joyce said as he played in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. "I would say it was pretty graceful."
Joyce is expected to be the opening day left fielder for the Rays after the 28-year-old hit .241 last year with 17 homers and 59 RBI over 124 games.
Joyce hoping for everyday role
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/3/2013) Tampa Bay outfielder Matt Joyce is hoping to accomplish a career first during the upcoming season. Since cracking into the majors with Detroit in 2008, Joyce has been restricted from hitting against left-handed pitchers, limiting his possibility of serving as an everyday player. He's hoping to change that aspect this year despite owning a career .201 average against southpaws. "I'm going to have a good argument this year," Joyce told MLB.com on Sunday. "My depth perception and picking up the pitches is way better than it was at the end of the year. My mechanics are way better. I feel more flexible than ever. There are a lot of things that factor into it. But for me, I'm just excited to get the chance."
Joyce aims to add bat speed
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/19/2013) MLB.com reports Rays outfielder Matt Joyce spent the offseason surfing the Internet for video to study the swings of some of baseball's best hitters. He watched video of Jose Bautista, Ken Griffey Jr., Robinson Cano and Barry Bonds. "I just spent a lot of time studying these guys' swings and what makes them so successful," Joyce said. "Right now, I'm still in the process of trying to perfect it and get all the kinks worked out. For me, it's exciting, because I feel like I can create a little more bat speed, I can be a little more balanced. And that's the name of the game, stay on the plane a little bit longer of where the pitch is and you're going to have more success."
Joyce gets a raise
(1/18/2013) The Rays and outfielder Matt Joyce agreed to a one-year, $2.45 million contract on Friday , avoiding arbitration. Joyce, who made $499,500 last season, is coming off a campaign in which he batted .241 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI. "I'm really looking forward to this year," Joyce told the Tampa Tribune. "I've put in a lot of time studying my mechanics and comparing. I feel like I'm more ready than I ever have been."
