Rays add veteran OF on minor league contract

The Rays signed outfielder Raimel Tapia to a minor league deal. He’ll join his third organization of the season after being waived by the Brewers a few weeks back.

Tapia began the season on a non-roster pact with the Red Sox. The lefty-swinging outfielder broke camp with Boston and wound up appearing in 39 games. Tapia had slightly below-average offensive numbers, hitting .264/.333/.368 through 97 trips to the plate. He lost his roster spot in early June but signed directly onto the Brewers’ MLB roster after going unclaimed on waivers.

His stint in Milwaukee wasn’t as productive. Over 20 games, Tapia hit just .173/.267/.288 while striking out in 20 of his 61 plate appearances. The Brewers designated him for assignment and called up top prospect Sal Frelick. Tapia elected free agency and will now have to play his way back to the big leagues.

It’ll be Tapia’s first stint in Triple-A (aside from four rehab games) since 2018. The speedy outfielder has been a fixture on MLB rosters for the past half-decade, but he’s bounced from the Rockies to the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Brewers within the past two years. Tapia has quality contact skills and is a plus baserunner, but he has below-average power and doesn’t draw many walks. He’s hitting .230/.308/.338 in 158 plate appearances this season and owns a .256/.296/.369 slash since the start of 2022.

Despite his speed, Tapia has spent the majority of his career in the corner outfield. He can cover center field if necessary but has generally rated as a slightly below-average defender in a corner.