The Tampa Bay Rays have signed free-agent outfielder Delmon Young to a minor-league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He will report to the club's Double-A affiliate in Montgomery, which reportedly he prefers over Triple-A Durham.
Rays sign Delmon Young to minor-league deal
Young is back in the Tampa Bay organization after six years away.
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Young, 27, was released by the Phillies last week after four not-so-great months with the club. Philadelphia is on the hook for all of the $750,000 they signed him for over the winter, so Young will likely get just the prorated minimum from the Rays.
With the club's waiver claim of David DeJesus earlier on Thursday, it's unclear where Young would ultimately fit on the big-league roster if they call him up.
It may seem strange now, but Young was the consensus top prospect in the game the last time he donned a uniform in the Rays organization. Perhaps the Rays hopeful they can recapture a bit of his lost promise by putting him in an environment where he had great success in the past.
It's also possible -- and maybe more likely -- that he's an insurance policy in the event that the Rays can't come to an agreement with the Nationals on a deal for DeJesus by the Friday afternoon deadline.
The Rays have received above-average production at the plate this season from all of their outfielders outside of 31-year-old journeyman Sam Fuld, so Young (and/or DeJesus) is unlikely to command more than a bench role with the club.
Young is a career .283/.316/.423 hitter in eight big-league seasons, but hasn’t put up numbers anywhere near that mark since 2010. He hit just .261/.302/.397 in 80 games for the Phillies this year.
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