Rays outfielder Corey Dickerson robs Eric Hosmer of home run

Corey Dickerson is not in the lineup for his defense, but he put himself on the highlight reels Thursday afternoon.

For day game series finales or “get-away day,” MLB teams don’t often use what would qualify as an every day lineup. Some regulars get a day off while others might play a position they don’t typically hold down. Corey Dickerson splits time between designated hitter and left field for the Tampa Bay Rays, with some tilt toward the former, and Thursday against the Kansas City Royals was a day in left field for him.

As if by coincidence, Dickerson was tested immediately. The third batter of the game, Royals’ first baseman Eric Hosmer, hit a deep fly ball down the left field line that was slicing toward the foul pole. With a short distance (315 feet down the line) and a shortened wall, a home run definitely looked likely.

But Dickerson had another idea.

By virtually every metric, including Baseball Reference’s Defensive WAR (-2.7 for his career and Defensive Runs Saved (-4 for his career) and Ultimate Zone Rating (-1.8 for his career), Dickerson is at best a mediocre outfielder. But he has now played 14 games in left field this season (12 starts) and 20 as a DH. A lack of better options should bring a similar playing time split for Dickerson all season, for better or worse when he is in the field.

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Dickerson could not prevent a 6-0 win for the Royals on Thursday, with the Rays’ bullpen wasting a good outing from Jake Odorizzi by allowing five runs in eighth inning. The Rays were shut out on four hits by Jason Vargas and two Royals’ relievers as Dickerson went 1-for-4. His slash-line is now at .326/.378/.553 so far this season, with six home runs,12 RBI and 18 runs scored.