The Rays reassigned right-handers Naoyuki Uwasawa, Burch Smith, and Joe Document, catchers Francisco Mejia and Rob Brantly, and outfielder Jake Mangum to their minor league camp on Friday. Supervisor Kevin Money advised reporters (together with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Occasions) that whereas not one of the six gamers could be making the Opening Day roster, the Rays have been hoping your entire group would stay as minor league depth.
Uwasawa, Smith, and Brantly have some say of their futures, as every of the trio can choose out of their minor league contracts in the event that they aren’t included on the large league roster. Erasmo Ramirez is one other veteran in camp on a minors deal, but Topkin studies that Ramirez will report back to Triple-A and cross on exercising his opt-out clause.
Uwasawa is probably essentially the most attention-grabbing title within the group, because the 30-year-old is making the bounce to MLB after 9 seasons in Nippon Skilled Baseball with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. The righty signed a cut up contract with the Rays that can pay him $2.5MM within the majors and $225K for his time within the minors, in addition to a $25K signing bonus and $1MM price of incentive clauses that might begin to kick in if Uwasawa pitched no less than 70 massive league innings this season.
Although Uwasawa was supplied assured contracts by different MLB groups, he selected Tampa Bay “as a result of the success and the wealthy historical past of pitching improvement actually intrigued me,” because the right-hander stated in a press release on the time of his signing. It isn’t but clear if Uwasawa will now stick with the Rays, as he advised Topkin (X link) that he could be talking along with his agent to weigh choices, together with opting out if one other group is prepared to provide him a clearer shot at pitching within the bigs.
Uwasawa didn’t assist his case for a roster spot by posting a 13.03 ERA over 4 appearances and 9 2/3 innings in Spring Coaching, although he seemed rather a lot sharper in his most up-to-date Grapefruit League outing — he held the Orioles to 1 run on 4 hits and a stroll over 4 innings on March 15. As each Topkin and Money famous, some adjustment time was inevitable for Uwasawa in his first publicity to the North American model of baseball.
With Brantly and Mejia now minimize, it basically finalizes Alex Jackson’s anticipated position because the Rays’ backup catcher behind Rene Pinto. The catching place has lengthy been each a revolving door and a query mark for the Rays, and Topkin feels one other backstop may nonetheless be added if the Rays like one other title who may grow to be obtainable as rival groups additionally shed gamers from their spring rosters.
