PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Right-hander Jake Odorizzi is rejoining the Tampa Bay Rays on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.
The team announced the signing Friday.
The 33-year-old who missed all of 2023 after undergoing shoulder surgery last April has pitched for five teams — the Rays, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves — over portions of 11 seasons.
With right-hander Taj Bradley expected to miss the start of the season because of a strained pectoral muscle, there’s competition in spring camp for a possible opening in the rotation.
Odorizzi, who spent five seasons with the Rays from 2013 to 2017, is 74-69 with a 3.99 ERA over 241 career appearances, including 237 starts.
He last pitched for the Astros and Braves in 2022, when he was a combined 6-6 with a 4.40 ERA over 22 starts. He won a career-best 15 games in 2019, when he was an AL All-Star with the Twins.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
