Rays center fielder B.J. Upton wasn't happy when he was dropped to seventh in the order last week. Now, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon has dropped his former leadoff hitter to ninth. "It's almost like a kick in the face," Upton said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. He is 3-for-20 (.150) with nine strikeouts in the five games since being removed from the leadoff spot. "To go from being a leadoff guy and last year hitting (No.) 2, 3, maybe 4 ... it's just like I'm back where I started (as a 19-year-old rookie). I was in the 9-hole, the 8-hole and kind of worked my way up," Upton said. "I know I'm not a 9-hitter. I know I'm not a bottom-of-the-order type of guy."