Rays sign Jayson Nix to minor league deal

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to sign infielder Jayson Nix to a minor league deal, according to an industry source. Nix will report to Triple-A Durham, and has an opt-out date of July 15th if he is not added to the major league roster.

Nix, 31, elected free agency earlier in the week after refusing an outright assignment by the Phillies. He hit .154 with 1 HR and 2 RBI in eighteen games with Philadelphia before being taken off the 40-man roster, and decided to explore the free agent market instead of reporting to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Nix was originally signed by the Rays to a minor league deal in mid-January, and hit .270 in seventeen spring training games before learning at the end of camp that he was not going to make the team. The Rays then traded him to the Phillies for cash considerations before Opening Day, and he spent the first month and a half of the season in Philadelphia.

In parts of seven major league seasons with the Rockies (2008), White Sox (2009-2010), Indians (2010), Blue Jays (2011), Yankees (2012-2013) and Phillies (2014), Nix is a lifetime .216 hitter with 38 HR and 128 RBI at the major league level. He has appeared at second base, shortstop, third base and both corner outfield positions throughout his career, providing the Rays with a good deal of versatility.