PORT CHARLOTTE (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays brought back a familiar face to help with the catching depth Wednesday, signing Curt Casali to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Casali spent parts of the last four seasons with the Rays before leaving to sign a deal first with the Los Angeles Angeles, then with the Texas Rangers this offseason. He played in 13 spring games with the Rangers, hitting .222/.263/.278 with no home runs or RBI before being released early Wednesday.
Casali has played in 161 career big league games, all with the Rays, and is a career .199/.285.385 hitter. His most productive year with the Rays was 2015, when he hit .238/.304/.594 with 10 home runs and 18 RBI in just 113 plate appearances. He played in 84 games with the Rays in 2016 before spending almost the entire 2017 season in Durham, getting just 13 plate appearances after being called up in September.
The 29-year-old is expected to join the Rays Thursday.