This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON -- While we wait for the Rays’ postseason plans to come into clearer focus over the final days of the regular season, let’s take one last look back at their top players over the last month.

If you want a refresher on our past monthly award winners, check them out for April, May, June, July and August.

Player of the Month
Well, we have to start with the fact that the Rays hit .240/.308/.358 as a team in September. Their .666 OPS was the second-worst mark in the American League, better than only the A’s. They hit 17 home runs, the fewest in the Majors.

No Tampa Bay hitter had more than three home runs (Christian Bethancourt led the team), and only two had an OPS above .800, although neither Bethancourt nor Yandy Díaz played in more than 19 of the Rays' 28 games. So this is not a month overflowing with great candidates.

But we’ll pick Díaz, despite the fact that he had only six plate appearances after Sept. 19 due to a left shoulder injury. Why? Well, he hit .344/.444/.426 with as many walks as strikeouts (10 of each) when he was able to take the field, and his value to the Rays’ lineup has been just as evident while sidelined.

Consider: The Rays came to Boston with a 47-34 record when slotting Díaz into the leadoff spot compared to a 39-39 record with anyone else batting first. That’s not a perfect way to explain what he means to Tampa Bay, by any means, but it’s a good start.

Pitcher of the Month
It’s possible we haven’t paid enough attention to what Jeffrey Springs has done this season, especially in September. The left-hander came to the Rays as an unheralded bullpen addition and pitched great when healthy last season, then moved into the rotation in May and thrived as a starter.

Entering his final regular-season start on Tuesday, Springs has a 2.45 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 141 strikeouts in 132 1/3 innings over 32 outings. Since officially joining the rotation, he has a 2.64 ERA and has seen the Rays go 16-7 in his 23 starts.

And Springs was simply outstanding in September, as the Rays went 5-1 behind him as he logged a 1.44 ERA while holding opponents to a .192/.242/.292 slash line with 31 strikeouts and only seven walks in 31 1/3 innings. The only time the Rays lost with him on the mound, he pitched six shutout innings in Cleveland.

Reliever of the Month
First, a tip of the cap to lefty Garrett Cleavinger, who allowed only three runs while striking out 19 batters and walking only three in 13 1/3 innings over nine appearances last month. He’s not pitching in the highest-leverage situations, but he has been a solid addition.

The pick again here is Pete Fairbanks, who didn’t pitch a ton in September (8 1/3 innings in eight appearances) but proved to be untouchable whenever he took the mound. Fairbanks allowed three hits and two walks while striking out 15 of the 31 batters he faced last month.

He converted each of his four save opportunities last month, extending his scoreless streak to 22 straight appearances. The man has not allowed an extra-base hit since yielding one to each of the first two batters he faced on July 17, the day he was reinstated from the 60-day injured list.