Additional Additions

Last week, the Rays announced the signing of five players to minor league contracts, with each receiving an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Also last week we brought you an in-depth look at who could open the 2015 season in Durham, and each of these five players could see time in the Bull City as well.

C Mayo Acosta: Acosta, 27, has spent each of his eight seasons in the Rays system, and was re-signed by the ball club this offseason. He spent 2014 with Durham, appearing in 30 games. For his career he’s a .232 hitter, and has thrown out 39.9% of runners attempting to steal.

INF Joey Butler: Butler, 28, split the 2014 season between three teams, appearing in games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Triple-A Memphis and the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He’s appeared in 14 MLB games over the past two seasons, making his ML debut in 2013 with Texas (8 games) and St. Louis (6 games). While a member of the Texas system, he was an MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

INF Juan Francisco: Francisco, 27, has appeared in the major leagues each of the past six seasons between Cincinnati (2009–11), Atlanta (2012–13), Milwaukee (2013) and Toronto (2014). A career .236 hitter in the Bigs, the Dominican native has posted a career line of .287–114–430 in 615 minor league games.

RHP Jhan Mariñez: Mariñez, 26, appeared in four games for the Florida Marlins in 2010, and then notched two appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2012. The Dominican has spent the majority of his career in the minors, splitting 2014 between the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate (Chattanooga) and Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate (Toledo).

LHP Everett Teaford: Teaford, 30, appeared in 45 games over three seasons with Kansas City (2011–13), including 26 in 2011 when he posted a 3.27 ERA. The reliever spent the 2014 season with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization, but has significant Triple-A time, appearing in 55 games with Omaha in the Pacific Coast League from 2010–2013.