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Rays sign former Twins outfielder to minor league contract
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The Tampa Bay Rays added experienced outfielder Jake Cave to the organization, signing the 33-year-old to a minor league contract on Thursday. The deal was announced by Mexican League club El Aguila de Veracruz, where Cave had been playing, and MLB.com's transactions tracker shows he has been assigned to Triple-A Durham.
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Cave brings substantial major league experience after appearing in 523 games with the Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies from 2018 through 2024. Across 1,564 plate appearances, the left-handed hitter owns a career .236/.292/.400 slash line with an 85 wRC+. He has been considerably more productive against right-handed pitching, hitting .248/.310/.425 with a 97 wRC+.
Cave enjoyed his best stretch with the Twins during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, batting .262/.329/.466 with 21 home runs, 52 extra-base hits and 70 RBI over 163 games. However, his production declined over the following three seasons before he spent 2023 with the Phillies, where he recorded a .212/.272/.348 slash line in 65 games. He then appeared in 123 games for the Rockies in 2024, slashing .251/.290/.396.
Following the 2024 season, Colorado removed Cave from its roster, leading him to continue his career overseas with the Doosan Bears in the KBO League. He responded with a .299/.351/.463 batting line, 16 home runs and 87 RBI in 136 games. He carried that momentum into 2026 with El Aguila de Veracruz, batting .309/.340/.474 across 47 games, although the Mexican League has produced a league-average .287/.358/.440 slash line this season.
Defensively, Cave has logged more than 1,000 innings at each outfield position. He owns four career Outs Above Average, while Defensive Runs Saved has rated him as around average in the corner outfield spots but below average in center field.
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Tampa Bay's current outfield features Chandler Simpson, Cedric Mullins, Jonny DeLuca, Víctor Mesa Jr. and Ryan Vilade. Jake Fraley remains on the injured list after undergoing hernia surgery, and Jacob Melton has only recently returned from the minor league injured list, making Cave a veteran depth option if the Rays need reinforcements during the season.
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