The Cleveland Indians have reached an agreement with outfielder Rajai Davis on a one-year, $5.25 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Cleveland announced the agreement on Thursday after Davis passed his pre-signing physical.
The 35-year-old will serve as depth throughout the season, but should find himself starting lineup with Michael Brantley recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Davis will join Abraham Almonte and Lonnie Chisenhall in the outfield. Davis will give the Indians the type of outfield depth that they have been looking to get for the past few years.
Davis was drafted in the 38th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his debut on August 14, 2006 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Since that date, Davis has played for the Pirates (2006-2007), San Francisco Giants (2007-2008), Oakland Athletics (2008-2010), Toronto Blue Jays (2011-2013) and the Detroit Tigers (2014-2015).
Over his 10-year career, Davis has hit .269/.316/.387 with 43 home runs and 305 RBI. The veteran is a speedster, stealing 322 bases and only being caught 87 times across 1,067 games.
Last season, the outfielder, who attended the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, slashed .258/.306/.440 with eight homers and 30 RBI through 341 at-bats. Since 2011, Davis played in 591 games in which he took 1,900 at-bats. The right-handed hitter launched 495 hits, 104 doubles, 24 triples, 31 home runs and 117 RBI during that time span.
With the Tigers in 2014 and 2015, he provided a spark off the bench with both speed and undercover power. He tallied a few walk-off home runs, which shined as a bright light in a dark room type season for the Tigers, who finished dead last in the American League Central with a 74-87 record.