Baseball Operations - Matsui Joins The Rays - Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Hideki Matsui homered around his or her minute at-bat with the time following on from the Tampa Bay Rays purchased his contract before Tuesday from Triple-A Durham.

The workforce declared the actual shift prior to Tuesday night's activity next to that Chicago White Sox. Matsui appeared to be without delay injected in to manager Joe Maddon's lineup, batting sixth as well as starting off in kept field.

After hitting a travel for you to remaining in the second, Matsui connected to get a extended two-run homer to be able to perfect through fourth. It appeared to be his or her first household manage because Sept. 19 next to Texas although with Oakland.

''You'll notice your ex inside kept field, you may observe him since a DH might find your pet touch hit,'' Maddon said. ''I'm only actually wanting to get your pet here. A quite fashionable type of a new guy.''

Matsui, who seem to spins 38 on June 12, played 13 video games by using Durham immediately after coming to a decisionupon some sort of small league agreement with Tampa Bay with April 30. He click .170 along with a number of RBIs intended for Durham, wherever he / she played throughout kept area some times.

''Defensively, I don't have any issues during all,'' Matsui explained via a translator. ''So, I believe I managed for getting quite a few games inside and find ready regarding this.''

Matsui has played nine seasons inside the major leagues while using New York Yankees (2003-09), Los Angeles Angels (2010) plus the Athletics (2011) after a 10-year career while using Yomiuri Giants regarding Japan's Central League.

''It's just as by using every veteran player,'' Rays exec vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. ''We're not really thinking about stats, how that they do. It's just simply like it is really springtime training. The most significant component is the fact that that they feel excellent in addition to they have their own ideal time to down. He believed like he or she appeared to be at this point from that will point.''

To make space with regard to Matsui to the roster, your Rays optioned outfielder-designated hitter Stephen Vogt to help Durham plus transported outfielder Brandon Guyer on the 15- on the 60-day inept list.