St. Petersburg, FL - The Tampa Bay Rays have called up outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui from Tripla-A Durham.
Matsui signed a minor league contract with the Rays on April 30 and hit .170 with four RBI in 13 games at Durham.
Matsui, who will turn 38 years old in June, played 10 seasons in Japan before signing with the Yankees prior to the 2003 season. He played for the Yankees through 2009, helping New York to a World Series title and earning Fall Classic MVP honors in a six-game triumph over Philadelphia in his final season with the club.
The slugger spent 2010 with the Angels and 2011 with Oakland. He is a career .285 hitter in 1,202 major league games with 173 homers and 753 runs batted in.
You'll see him in left field, you'll see him as a DH and you'll see him pinch hit," Maddon said. "I'm just really eager to have him here. A very classy kind of a guy."
Matsui, who turns 38 on June 12, played 13 games with Durham after signing a minor league contract with Tampa Bay on April 30. He hit .170 with four RBI for Durham, where he played in left field four times.
"Defensively, I didn't have any issues at all," Matsui said through a translator. "So, I think I was able to get some games in and get ready for this."
Matsui has played nine seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees (2003-09), Los Angeles Angels (2010) and the Athletics (2011) following a 10-year career with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Central League.
"It's just like with any veteran player," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We're not necessarily looking at stats, how they do. It's just like it's spring training. The most important part is that they feel good and they've got their timing down. He felt like he was now at that point."
To make room for Matsui on the roster, the Rays optioned outfielder-designated hitter Stephen Vogt to Durham and transferred outfielder Brandon Guyer from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list.
Matsui signed a minor league contract with the Rays on April 30 and hit .170 with four RBI in 13 games at Durham.
Matsui, who will turn 38 years old in June, played 10 seasons in Japan before signing with the Yankees prior to the 2003 season. He played for the Yankees through 2009, helping New York to a World Series title and earning Fall Classic MVP honors in a six-game triumph over Philadelphia in his final season with the club.
The slugger spent 2010 with the Angels and 2011 with Oakland. He is a career .285 hitter in 1,202 major league games with 173 homers and 753 runs batted in.
You'll see him in left field, you'll see him as a DH and you'll see him pinch hit," Maddon said. "I'm just really eager to have him here. A very classy kind of a guy."
Matsui, who turns 38 on June 12, played 13 games with Durham after signing a minor league contract with Tampa Bay on April 30. He hit .170 with four RBI for Durham, where he played in left field four times.
"Defensively, I didn't have any issues at all," Matsui said through a translator. "So, I think I was able to get some games in and get ready for this."
Matsui has played nine seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees (2003-09), Los Angeles Angels (2010) and the Athletics (2011) following a 10-year career with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Central League.
"It's just like with any veteran player," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We're not necessarily looking at stats, how they do. It's just like it's spring training. The most important part is that they feel good and they've got their timing down. He felt like he was now at that point."
To make room for Matsui on the roster, the Rays optioned outfielder-designated hitter Stephen Vogt to Durham and transferred outfielder Brandon Guyer from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list.
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