ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays have purchased the contract of designated hitter Hideki Matsui from Triple-A Durham.
The team announced the move before Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
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 has played nine seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees (2003-09), Los Angeles Angels (2010) and Oakland Athletics (2011) following a 10-year career with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Central League.
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-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.
