Right-hander Jake Odorizzi will look to make his comeback from last year’s shoulder injury after signing a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays that includes an invitation to major league camp.
With right-hander Taj Bradley expected to miss the start of the season because of a strained pectoral muscle, there is competition in spring camp for a possible opening in the Rays’ rotation.
Odorizzi never pitched for the Texas Rangers after undergoing shoulder debridement surgery last spring. He had joined the Rangers from the Atlanta Braves in a November 2022 trade but became a free agent before he played a game for Texas.
Odorizzi, who turns 34 later this month, has mostly been a starter in his career, with a 74-69 record and a 3.99 ERA over 241 career appearances (237 starts).
He has played for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros and Braves since making his major league debut in 2012. He was an All-Star with Minnesota in 2019, when he had a career-best 15 wins.
In other moves Friday, the Rays selected the contract of former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jacob Waguespack from Triple-A Durham and placed left-hander Jeffrey Springs on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery on May 1.
Left-hander Brendan McKay and right-hander Michael Gomez were reassigned to minor league spring training camp. Left-hander Jacob Lopez was optioned to Durham.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com