1B Richie Shaffer spent most of this season in the minor leagues and said he focused on how to hit better in crucial situations. That's paid off in this series as Shaffer's already gotten one homer and three RBIs, including the tiebreaking double Saturday. "I had another opportunity with a guy in scoring position," Shaffer said. "It just came down to just being patient and trying to find a pitch that you know that you can handle."

1B Richie Shaffer came up with some firsts in Friday's game. He was recalled from Triple-A Durham last week and hit his first homer and drove in his first two runs of the season on a two-run blast in the second inning.

UTL Richie Shaffer was recalled from Triple-A Durham after the end of their season, and entered the game as a defensive replacement for Evan Longoria at third base. Shaffer will get occasional work at the corners with a chance to start making his case to stick with the Rays out of spring training next year.

INF Richie Shaffer was recalled from Triple-A Durham after the Monday game. Shaffer, 25, went 2-for-7 in five games for the Rays earlier this season. He hit .227/.329/.367 with 11 homers and 48 RBIs in 119 games for Durham.

INF Richie Shaffer was optioned to Triple-A Durham and RHP Tyler Sturdevant was recalled in a corresponding move.

1B Richie Shaffer was optioned to Triple-A Durham after Wednesday's game. He was 2-for-7 in limited action since joining the Rays and could potentially rejoin the team next week when rosters expand.

INF Richie Shaffer was optioned to Triple-A Durham after the Wednesday game, clearing a roster spot for SS Matt Duffy, who came off the disabled list. Shaffer went 2-for-3 on Wednesday, leaving him 2-for-6 in three games for Tampa Bay this year.

INF Richie Shaffer was 2-for-3 with a double in the 7-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. They were his first hits of the season after being recalled from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 3. It was the second multi-hit game.of his career. His other was last Oct. 2, also against the Blue Jays.

1B Richie Shaffer, recalled from Triple-A Durham, entered the game as a pinch-runner in the sixth and scored, taking over at first base. He also walked in the seventh. The former first-round pick made his season debut for the Rays and should be in the rotation short-term at first base.

1B/OF Richie Shaffer was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday. Shaffer, 25, was the Rays' first-round pick in 2012 and played for them briefly last season, hitting .189 with four home runs and six RBIs. With Durham, he was hitting .227 this season with eight home runs and 41 RBIs.

Shaffer is in the lineup at first base Sunday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. It marks his fourth start in six games.

After seeing light usage upon his initial promotion to the majors in August, Shaffer has received more opportunities to play regularly in September. With the Rays out of the playoff race, Shaffer should continue to see frequent at-bats as the team looks to determine if he's capable of filling a full-time role in 2016. Thus far, Shaffer has done little to stake a claim to a starting job next season, as he's batting just .185 with 29 strikeouts in 65 at-bats.

Shaffer will see playing time against left-handed starters and is likely to be used more at the corner infield positions and DH, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 24-year-old did see a mid-game entrance Tuesday, hitting a double as a designated hitter. While Shaffer is very unlikely to see everyday starts in 2015, this plan shows that the Rays are trying to get at-bats for one of their better hitting prospects.

Shaffer will be called up when rosters expand Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After a mixed bag in a cup of coffee earlier this season with Tampa -- he went 5-for-19 with a pair of homers, but also struck out 10 times -- Shaffer will rejoin the squad for September action. He'll see limited time, though, with not much action available at his two primary positions, first and third.

Shaffer was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune reports.

Shaffer had a little success in limited action with the Rays, going 5-for-19 with two home runs in eight games with the club. The move was made to open up a spot on the 25-man roster for an extra bullpen arm in Enny Romero. However, the 24-year-old could be a candidate for a return to the club when the rosters expand in September.

Shaffer went 3-for-3 with a solo homer on Sunday against the Mets.

The rookie broke up a tie game with his 2nd homer to lead the rays to the win. Coming into the game, he only had one hit in his seven major league at-bats.

Shaffer will start at first base and bat sixth in his MLB debut Monday against the White Sox, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

After being called up earlier on Monday, Shaffer gets the start at first base. While he's a natural third baseman, he did start 11 games at first base for Triple-A Durham. He replaces James Loney in the starting lineup.

Shaffer was officially called up to the Rays on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The former first round pick started in Double-A and has quickly worked his way up to the big leagues, hitting 23 home runs and slugging .539 in 94 games across Double-A and Triple-A. While he's been touted as a power hitter since he was drafted in 2012, Shaffer's power has really come alive in 2015. While displacing Evan Longoria will be no easy feat, his call-up should mean that the Rays have a plan to use him. He replaces Matt Moore on the 25-man roster.

Shaffer will be called up by the Rays on Monday, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Shaffer has been on fire of late at Triple-A Durham, with a slugging percentage of .592 which he attained via 16 home runs and 32 RBIs after 215 plate appearances. He obviously won't be replacing Evan Longoria at third once he joins the Rays, so his opportunities will be limited.

Shaffer, 24, is batting .273/.363/.987 with 15 home runs and 27 RBI in 44 games since being promoted to Triple-A Durham.

This is the type of power production that the Rays envisioned when they selected Shaffer in the first round back in 2012. He has already surpassed his previous career-high in home runs. He is blocked by Evan Longoria at the big-league level, though, so the Rays will have to find another spot for him if he gets promoted.

Shaffer homered three times in Triple-A Durham's win over Louisville on Friday night.

Shaffer has made a seamless transition to Triple-A since earning the call-up from Double-A Montgomery in May. The three-homer game was Durham's first since 2009, and helped Shaffer raise his line to .328/.412/.759 across 63 plate appearances. The 24-year-old third baseman is blocked by Evan Longoria at the big-league level, but if he continues to murder the ball at Durham, the Rays could experiment with using him at another position in order to open up a spot for him.