Rays vs. Yankees: Brett Phillips is back in the lineup

UPDATE, 2:23: The Yankees scratched 3B Gio Urshela from their lineup and put Tyler Wade at 2B with DJ LeMahieu shifting to third. Here the new Yankees order:

LeMahieu 3b

Stanton dh

Hicks cf

Torres ss

Bruce 1b

Sanchez c

Frazier rf

Tauchman lf

Wade 2b

Kluber p

DEVELOPING: The Rays will salute their 2020 success by unveiling their AL East and league championship banners before getting back to the business of the 2021 season in today’s home opener against the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10.

Brett Phillips, who delivered the dramatic winning run in the Game 4 World Series win, will be in the lineup for the first time this season. He will start in centerfield after being activated off the injured list, where he was working back from a mid-spring left hamstring strain.

The Rays made a series of other transactions before the game, placing reliever Pete Fairbanks on the injured list with a shoulder strain, calling up reliever Hunter Strickland and designating catcher Joseph Odom for assignment.

Phillips said he should be good to go, having played in game-like settings the last three days at the Rays’ alternate training site and in Dunedin against Blue Jays players.

He said sitting out had been tough on him.

“You can only imagine, right?” Phillips said. “Like, the offseason is long enough as it is, but for me, I feel like it’s always 10 times longer just because I need baseball, I need that stimulation, need to be doing something.

“But injuries are a part of the game. It’s one of those things — in the offseason you work out, but when you’re injured, you work twice as hard to get back. And I feel like I’ve put myself in a good position to be healthy and help this team win.

Rich Hill, coming off a rough Rays debut in Miami, will be on the mound for the Rays.

Here is the Rays lineup:

Here is the lineup yet from the Yankees, who will have Corey Kluber — who the Rays pursued before he signed in New York — on the mound, but not having Aaron Judge, who is sidelined with left side soreness:.

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