The Tampa Bay Rays struck surprisingly early when filling their designated-hitter slot over the offseason. Incumbent Johnny Damon was booted out the back door, and Luke Scott was signed to a one year, $6 million deal that made him one of the highest-paid players on the Rays. Then the bottom fell out of the DH market, and there were all sorts of one-year options for cheap.
Rays Calling Up Hideki Matsui
One of those options was Hideki Matsui, and he went the entire offseason without latching on to a team, signing with the Rays in the spring. With Luke Scott scuffling, the Rays are looking to give Matsui a shot:
Expect Matsui to join #Rays tomorrow
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 29, 2012
That "tomorrow" referred to Tuesday. Scott hit .213/.291/.348 in May after starting the season hot, but there are no indications that he's in danger of losing his job. Matsui is up to be a bat off the bench for now.
Matsui hit .170/.231/.213 without a home run in 47 at-bats for triple-A Durham, so it’s not like he forced himself onto the roster, but presumably the Rays saw something they liked.
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