ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms with eight players on minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training: right-handed pitchers Colten Brewer, Braden Bristo, Zack Burdi, Ben Heller, Heath Hembree, Trevor Kelley and Elvin Rodriguez and catcher Nick Dini.
The Rays have invited 18 of their minor league players to major league spring training: right-handed pitchers Trevor Brigden, Ryan Burr, Cooper Criswell, Evan McKendry, Michael Mercado, Chris Muller, Hector Perez, Evan Reifert and Josh Roberson, left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery, catcher Blake Hunt, first baseman Kyle Manzardo, infielders Tristan Gray and Ronny Simon and outfielders Ruben Cardenas, Niko Hulsizer, Kameron Misner and Grant Witherspoon.
These invites increase the spring roster to 66 players: 38 pitchers, five catchers, 13 infielders and 10 outfielders.
Brewer, 30, has spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the San Diego Padres (2018) and Boston Red Sox (2019-21) and is 2-5 with a 5.04 ERA (91-IP, 51-ER) in 81 career appearances (four starts). In 2022, he pitched for Triple-A Omaha in the Kansas City Royals system and went 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA (39.2-IP, 21-ER) in 36 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth round of the 2011 Amateur Draft out of Canton (Texas) High School.
Bristo, 28, has spent the entirety of his professional career in the New York Yankees organization and is 16-16 with a 3.51 ERA (269.1-IP, 105-ER) in 178 appearances (two starts) over six minor league seasons. He has spent the last two seasons with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 8-6 with a 4.70 ERA (103.1-IP, 54-ER) and 10.89 SO/9 IP ratio in 79 appearances (two starts). He was selected by the Yankees in the 23rd round of the 2016 Amateur Draft out of Louisiana Tech University.
Burdi, 27, has spent parts of two seasons in the majors with the Chicago White Sox (2020-21) and Baltimore Orioles (2021) and is 0-1 with a 7.79 ERA (17.1-IP, 15-ER) in 15 career appearances. In 2022, he was limited to 10 appearances (two starts) in the Washington Nationals system due to a right elbow injury. He was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2016 Amateur Draft out of the University of Louisville and ranks second in school history with 20 career saves.
Heller, 31, went 2-0 with a 2.59 ERA (31.1-IP, 9-ER) in 31 appearances over parts of four seasons with the Yankees (2016-17, 2019-20). He has been limited to seven appearances (two starts) and 8.2 innings over the last two minor league seasons following a stress fracture in his elbow suffered while attending spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021. He was selected by Cleveland in the 22nd round of the 2013 Amateur Draft out of Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) University.
Hembree, 34, has played 10 major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants (2013), Red Sox (2014-20), Philadelphia Phillies (2020), Cincinnati Reds (2021), New York Mets (2021), Pirates (2022) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2022). Over his major league career, he is 21-13 with a 4.39 ERA (354.2-IP, 173-ER) and 11 saves in 357 appearances, all out of the bullpen. In 2018, he made four hitless and scoreless appearances in the postseason and won the World Series with the Red Sox. He was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2010 Amateur Draft out of College of Charleston.
Kelley, 30, has spent parts of three seasons in the majors with the Red Sox (2019), Phillies (2020) and Milwaukee Brewers (2022) and is 1-3 with a 7.13 ERA (35.1-IP, 28-ER) in 32 career appearances. In 2022, he made 18 appearances spanning five stints with the Brewers and spent the rest of the season with Triple-A Nashville, going 3-3 with a 2.36 ERA (34.1-IP, 9-ER) in 34 appearances. He was designated for assignment by the Brewers on January 4 and elected free agency on January 11. He was selected by the Red Sox in the 36th round of the 2015 Amateur Draft out of the University of North Carolina.
Rodriguez, 24, made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers last season, going 0-4 with a 10.62 ERA (29.2-IP, 35-ER) in seven appearances (five starts). Following the season, he pitched for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, going 0-1 with a 3.32 ERA (19-IP, 7-ER) in six starts. Over parts of seven minor league seasons, he is 38-37 with a 3.89 ERA (601.2-IP, 260-ER) in 127 appearances (119 starts). He was signed by the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent in July 2014.
Dini, 29, appeared in 20 games for the Royals in 2019, his only career major league action. He spent the 2022 season with Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets system, batting .232/.323/.446 (41-for-177) with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in 50 games. Over parts of seven minor league seasons, he owns a .282 avg. (367-for-1,303) with 47 home runs and 206 RBI in 378 games. He was selected by the Royals in the 14th round of the 2015 Amateur Draft out of Wagner (N.Y.) College.
Among the minor leaguers invited to major league spring training are the organization’s 2022 Minor League Player of the Year Kyle Manzardo and 2022 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Mason Montgomery. Also invited were Ryan Burr, who signed a two-year minor league contract on August 28 and is currently recovering from right shoulder surgery; Hector Perez, who was selected from the Orioles in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft; and Evan Reifert, who struck out 62.5 pct. (25 of 40) of his batters faced in the Arizona Fall League and was named the 2022 AFL Reliever of the Year.
Manzardo, 22, hit .327/.426/.617 (106-for-324) with 22 home runs and 81 RBI in 93 games between Class-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery last season. He led Rays minor leaguers in avg., on-base pct. and slugging pct., tied for third in homers and ranked fourth in RBI. He is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 60 overall prospect in the minors. He was selected by the Rays in the second round of the 2021 Amateur Draft out of Washington State University.
Montgomery, 22, went 6-3 with a 2.10 ERA (124-IP, 29-ER) and 171 strikeouts in 27 starts between Bowling Green and Montgomery last season. He led Rays minor leaguers in ERA and strikeouts, ranked second in starts and innings and third in WHIP (1.06). His 171 strikeouts ranked sixth in the minors and tied for ninth for a Rays minor leaguer in franchise history. He was selected by the Rays in the sixth round of the 2021 Amateur Draft out of Texas Tech University.
