Joey Wendle absent from Rays' lineup Thursday in ALDS Game 1

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Joey Wendle is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday versus left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and the Boston Red Sox.

What It Means:

Yandy Diaz is starting on third base over Wendle and hitting fifth. This is the fifth time the Rays are facing Rodriguez this season, and in the last meeting, they smacked him around for six earned runs and two dingers in just 3 2/3 innings.

numberFire's models project Diaz to score 9.2 FanDuel points Thursday and he has a $2,800 salary. Boston's bullpen had just the 17th-best xFIP in September.