RHP Jeremy Hellickson is set to take his scheduled turn in the rotation Saturday despite being hit on the side of the head by a home run ball during batting practice Wednesday. He was hospitalized for tests. “I feel fine,” Hellickson said. “There’s really nothing, not even a mark.”
CF B.J. Upton (lower back soreness) is scheduled to continue his rehab assignment Friday with Class A Charlotte, the third game of a scheduled 10-day stint designed to have him return during the April 20-22 homestand.
DH Luke Scott will be a game-time decision Friday as he seeks to get back in the lineup after missing three games due to mild left hamstring strain. Scott left Sunday’s game and hasn’t played since. He ran and took batting practice on the field Thursday.
LHP David Price will have a specific plan for his Friday start in Boston after throwing 47 of his 107 pitches for balls in his season debut Saturday. “I plan on throwing more strikes with my fastball, so hopefully that will make me better,” Price said.
C Jose Lobaton left Thursday’s game with discomfort in his right shoulder, and the Rays, already thin behind the plate, don’t know how long he might be out. With veteran Jose Molina already on a limited schedule, the team can’t go without him for long. Lobaton said he felt something during a fifth-inning throw to second, and it didn’t go away.
