The Rays are in agreement with reliever Joey Gerber on a minor league contract, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The right-hander receives a non-roster invitation to MLB camp.
Gerber, 27, is attempting to get to the big leagues for the first time in five years. The Illinois product debuted with the Mariners during the shortened 2020 season. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) across 15 2/3 innings. A forearm injury essentially robbed him of the next two years, leading the Mariners to release him midway through the ’22 season. Gerber caught on with the Yankees shortly after being released by Seattle, but injuries continued to plague him. He missed all of 2023 and spent the first half of this past season on the minor league IL.
In late June, Gerber was finally healthy enough to be reinstated. The Yankees assigned him to Double-A Somerset. He struck out 18 while only allowing three runs across 15 1/3 frames. That earned him a bump to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Gerber wasn’t quite as dominant as he’d been in Double-A. He tossed 14 innings and allowed 10 runs (six earned). He punched out 15 and issued eight walks.
Gerber’s fastball averaged 93.5 MPH during his Triple-A work this year. That’s in line with his velocity from his 2020 debut campaign. He got swinging strikes on a solid 13.4% of his offerings for Scranton. The arm strength and swing-and-miss were intriguing enough for the Rays to give him a non-roster camp invitation. If Gerber is able to stay healthy, he could find his way into Kevin Cash’s bullpen at some point.