Former Yankees, Mets .715 OPS outfielder re-signs with AL East club originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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With a little more than a month to go until the Major League Baseball trade deadline, contending clubs may look to add positional depth elsewhere.
Signing veterans to minor league contracts is one way to accomplish that goal without making a trade or breaking the bank.
On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays made such a move.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the AL East club has re-signed outfielder Austin Slater to a minor league deal.
Slater, 33, has already played for three organizations in 2026, including the Rays. He began the season with the Miami Marlins but lasted just 12 games.
The New York Mets took a flier on the right-handed hitter, but he was DFA’d after nine contests.
In 28 games this year with those three clubs, Slater hit .231/.311/.277 with no home runs, three RBIs, and a .588 OPS.
Slater spent parts of eight seasons with the San Francisco Giants to start his career, making his debut in 2017.
He provides some power off the bench against lefties, but he’s never connected for more than 12 homers in a season.
Tampa Bay’s left-handed swingers in the outfield include Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr., Chandler Simpson, and the injured Jake Fraley. Ryan Vilade and Jonny DeLuca hit from the right-handed side of the batter’s box.
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