Rays' Naoyuki Uwasawa: Joins Rays on minor-league deal

Uwasawa signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on Thursday, which includes an invitation to spring training.

Uwasawa pitched for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2023, and he maintained an impressive 2.96 ERA across 170 innings. However, his big-league ceiling is questionable, as he also managed only 124 strikeouts in that same span. His landing spot is intriguing as the Rays have regularly found ways to unlock the most from pitchers on their roster, so his progress during spring training will be worth monitoring.