The Tampa Bay Devil Rays just wouldn’t allow themselves to give up on B.J. Upton, even though he struggled in the infield, couldn’t crack a crowded outfield and batted only .251 in two limited big-league stints.

Good thing for the Rays.

Upton, the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, was leading the American League with a .381 average heading into Friday. Just 22, he also was among the league leaders in on-base percentage and slugging and led the Rays in RBIs and was tied for the lead in homers.

“He’s just swinging the bat with a lot more force than he did at any point last year,” Devil Rays Manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s a thin, wiry young man, but he has serious power.”

He also still has some issues defensively. Expected to play shortstop, he was too erratic there for the majors, was moved to third and rumored for the outfield before he ended up at second base this season. He has made eight errors, but the team thinks he can settle in there.

“We wanted for him to show us what his best position would be and not try to force him into a spot and try to force him into being this icon that he was,” Maddon said.

The New York Yankees may be suffering through one of the worst starts in their history, but they aren’t suffering hamstring injuries to key players without getting retribution.

Last week, they fired first-year strength coach Marty Miller after four key Yankees – outfielders Hideki Matsui and pitchers Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and rookie Phil Hughes after his stellar debut – blew out hamstrings since spring training.

In a span of about 72 hours, outfielder Ryan Langerhans was traded from the East Coast to the West Coast and back East again. On Sunday, the Atlanta Braves dealt him to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations. He spent two games with the A’s and then was sent to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Chris Snelling on Wednesday.

Give Langerhans credit. The 27-year-old defensive specialist didn’t burn any bridges in his two days in Oakland. He actually told reporters: “I enjoyed my time here.”

“You’ve almost got to laugh,” Langerhans said. “You never see anything like that.”

Quote of the week: “I’m too short. The next time I’m going to wear high heels.”

– Philadelphia Phillies infielder Abraham Nunez, who jumped but came up short on Miguel Cabrera’s line drive that broke up Jamie Moyer’s potential no-hitter last week. Nunez is considerably shorter than his listed 5-foot-11.

Quick hits: Talk about lean times in Kansas City. Stadium workers accidentally set off fireworks in the first inning Wednesday after Ross Gload grounded into a double play.