Rays Sign John Rooney To Minor League Deal

"Rooney elected minor league free agency after being outrighted by the Astros at the beginning of the offseason. The 28-year-old had a brief stint with Houston, who acquired him from the Marlins in a small trade in August. The Astros called him up for his big league debut three weeks later. Rooney struck out two of six batters faced while giving up a solo home run to Luis Vázquez in his only appearance."

"The Astros placed him on the injured list after that game. Rooney underwent season-ending surgery to treat tennis elbow and remove bone spurs. He'll try to work his way back to the big leagues with Tampa Bay next spring. Rooney sits just 90-91 MPH with his fastballs while leaning more often on a low-80s breaking ball. It missed a lot of bats in Triple-A, where he struck out 34% of opponents en route to a 2.56 ERA in 43 appearances between Miami's and Houston's affiliates."

"Delgado, 26 in April, has not played in MLB. He's a former sixth-round pick by Cleveland who spent last season with the Brewers top farm team. The left-handed hitter put together a solid .281/.363/.378 slash while stealing 40 bases in 48 attempts. Delgado is stretched at shortstop but can serve as a depth piece at either second or third base."

The Rays signed left-handed reliever John Rooney and infielder Raynel Delgado to minor league contracts with invitations to big league Spring Training. Rooney, 28, elected minor league free agency after being outrighted by the Astros following a brief stint in Houston after an August trade from Miami. He debuted in the majors, struck out two batters, then was placed on the injured list and had season-ending surgery to treat tennis elbow and remove bone spurs. Rooney’s fastball sits 90-91 MPH and his low-80s breaking ball produced a 34% K rate and a 2.56 ERA in 43 Triple-A appearances. Delgado, 26, has not played in MLB; he slashed .281/.363/.378 with 40 steals in 48 attempts and projects as infield depth at second or third base.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors