Westbrook inks Minors deal, ready for next chapter with Rays

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The hardest part is over for Jamie Westbrook. He waited his turn longer than most would be willing. He got his chance last summer. And he finally lived his dream by becoming a Major Leaguer and playing 21 games over two stints with the Red Sox.

He spent 11 seasons in the Minor Leagues. He played in 1,159 games and made 4,748 trips to the plate between the time the D-backs selected him out of high school in the fifth round of the 2013 Draft and the time he took the field for the Red Sox last June 2.

He earned his first hit, first homer and first RBI. The Massachusetts native played at Fenway Park in front of family and friends. Now, he no longer has to ask himself if he¡¯ll make it one day.

With that massive box checked, the 29-year-old infielder signed a Minor League contract with the Rays on Monday and found his Spring Training locker in the home clubhouse at Charlotte Sports Park. Westbrook has a spot in Tampa Bay¡¯s big league camp, no longer feeling the pressure to get his first call to The Show.

¡°You spend that long in the Minor Leagues, you start to believe that it's not going to happen,¡± Westbrook said Monday morning, adding that reaching the Majors ¡°just kind of validates what I've always thought of myself. I feel like I can come in and just, like, be me.

¡°I know my good is good enough now, so just do that. And I definitely have a new perspective on playing ball. I'm not necessarily trying to get to the big leagues so hard. I've kind of loosened the grip, and I can just enjoy the game now.¡±

A career .279/.347/.436 hitter in the Minors who¡¯s played plenty of second and third base as well as the outfield corners, Westbrook should serve as versatile depth. He said this opportunity came from ¡°kind of out of nowhere,¡± as his agent said Friday that the Rays were interested. Westbrook called Ryan Bristow, the Rays¡¯ director of pro personnel and pro scouting, and booked a flight to Florida on Saturday.

¡°Just waiting [and] staying ready,¡± Westbrook said. ¡°Felt like the best offer where I could get the best chance, kind of go from there, take it day by day and see what comes up.¡±

Westbrook said he heard good things about the team from friends Jordan Luplow and Tyler Glasnow, both former Rays. Having played for five organizations, Westbrook has gotten used to meeting new teammates, coaches and staff.

After all the waiting, and a storyline seemingly tailor-made for Netflix¡¯s Red Sox documentary series, he¡¯ll be ready for his next opportunity.

¡°Once you kind of could deal with that stuff, and someone's still offering you jobs and showing up, like, it's gonna happen. Just believe in that,¡± he said. ¡°I think, even at the times that it seemed impossible, I still had kind of that feeling in my heart. So, it worked out.¡±

Rainout report
Monday¡¯s game against the Twins at Charlotte Sports Park was called after two innings due to rain with the score tied at 1. The Rays didn¡¯t have any of the game¡¯s scheduled pitchers throw indoors and won¡¯t significantly change future plans due to the rainout.

It was still a somewhat productive day, as starter Zack Littell worked two innings and paired up with catcher Danny Jansen for the first time this spring. The only thing the rain cost Littell was a chance to go back out to face one hitter in the third inning, although he said with a smile that he was lobbying for another full inning of work.

Jansen also hit his second homer in as many games, pulling a shot to left field off Twins starter Chris Paddack.

¡°All these reps are huge. We had a game plan to go in there and try to fill up the strike zone, and I thought he did that,¡± Jansen said of Littell. ¡°I was excited to be back there with him.¡±

Around the horn
? One reason the Rays had a spot in camp for Westbrook is that shortstop prospect Gregory Barrios reported to Spring Training with an elbow injury that could delay the start of his season in the Minors. Barrios, Tampa Bay¡¯s No. 20 prospect at the end of 2024 according to MLB Pipeline, has been hitting and fielding grounders, but he¡¯s unable to throw and thus not ready for game action.

? Opening Day starter Shane McClanahan and right-handers Ryan Pepiot, Kevin Kelly and Joe Boyle faced hitters in live batting practice on Sunday. Starters Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen did the same on Monday.

? Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (recovering from right shoulder surgery) continues to hit, field grounders and work through his throwing program.

¡°If you didn't know anything, he looked totally normal hitting. Yesterday, during the ground ball session, he looks totally normal taking ground balls,¡± Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°It's just letting the arm catch up for throwing.¡±