David Murphy still has plenty of baseball left in him, and the Minnesota Twins stand to benefit.
The veteran outfielder signed a minor-league contract with the Twins, the team announced Thursday. He’ll report to the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, with hopes of forcing his way onto the big-league roster in the near future.
Murphy has hit .274 with 104 home runs and 472 RBI’s in 10 seasons in the Major Leagues. He played 132 games for both the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels in 2015, hitting .283 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Twins general manager Terry Ryan said Murphy’s bat could improve his, and Twins’, prospects this season.
“He’s a good hitter,” Ryan said. “He has been a good hitter for quite a long time. The guy’s available, and we’re struggling, of course. So, we signed him to a Minor League deal, and he’s going to play with Rochester a number of games, and we’ll see how he looks.”
The transaction offers Murphy, 34, a chance to prolong his career. The Boston Red Sox invited Murphy to Spring Training earlier this year, but he failed to make the 25-man roster. Murphy rejected the opportunity to start the season in the Red Sox minor-league system, looking to catch on with another team’s big-league roster, instead.
After the Red Sox released him and a few weeks of searching, it seems Murphy has taken what could be his last, best chance at playing regular baseball in the majors this season.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
