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Hideki Matsui Designated For Assignment By Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Hideki Matsui was designated for assignment by the team on Wednesday. Matsui hit a paltry .147 in his time with the Rays.

By Tim Blank
Getty Images

Hideki Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP, was designated for assignment on Wednesday by the Tampa Bay Rays. The reporter that broke the story was Tampa Bay Times Rays reporter Joe Smith.

Matsui was signed to the Rays back in April on a minor league deal. After spending a month in the minors, specifically at Triple-A Durham, Matsui was called up to the Rays on May 29. He hit a two run home run in his second at bat in that game.

However, his time with the Rays has not been effective, hitting a paltry .147 in 34 games. He has only hit two home runs, seven RBIs and has struck out 22 times. He has not recorded a hit in his last nine games played dating back to July 2. Much of his struggles may have something to do with his age, he turned 38 on June 12 and given that he has played close to 20 years of professional baseball in Japan and the United States, his body could be breaking down.

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.