The Tampa Bay Rays are adding more outfield depth after reportedly signing veteran outfielder Austin Slater to a minor league contract, according to Fan Sided’s Robert Murray.
Slater, who was released earlier this month by the New York Mets, now joins his fourth organization of the 2026 season.
The move comes shortly after Tampa Bay added veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel on a one-year major league deal following his own departure from New York.
Slater originally opened the year with the Detroit Tigers on a minor league pact before being released near the end of spring training.
He quickly landed with the Miami Marlins on a major league contract but struggled offensively, hitting just .174 in 12 games before being designated for assignment in April.
After electing free agency, Slater signed with the Mets as the club battled multiple outfield injuries and searched for a right-handed platoon bat against left-handed pitching.
Although he hit .250 across nine appearances in New York, the Mets moved on from the 33-year-old less than a month later, sending him back to free agency for the second time this season.
Now, Slater gets another opportunity with a Rays team that entered Tuesday with one of the best records in baseball at 36-18.
Across 10 MLB seasons with seven different clubs, the veteran owns a career .247 batting average with 45 home runs, 186 RBIs, and a .715 OPS.
