On the day he joined the Rays, shortstop Andy Sheets said it was important for every ballplayer to understand his role. Which explains why the veteran infielder did not get too excited about hitting his first major-league home run in more than two years Sunday. The Rays are not paying Sheets to hit home runs, or even drive in runs.
Offense is considered a bonus.
When manager Hal McRae put Sheets in the lineup for the struggling Felix Martinez late last week, he said Sheets would determine his future by how well he played defense. So far, Sheets has done the job. He has not made an error in his first four games and helped turn a smooth double play Sunday by going up the middle to snatch a grounder and flip it to Damian Rolls, who turned the play barehanded. So it was kind of a relief, to say the least, to finally get a hit and drive in a run. McRae originally said he would like to see Sheets play for a week before making a decision.