Outfielder Jake Cave has signed a minor league deal with the Rays, per an announcement from El Águila de Veracruz, the Mexican League team Cave had been playing for. The outfielder has been assigned to Triple-A Durham, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com.
Cave, 33, is a journeyman outfielder. From 2018 to 2024, he appeared in 523 big league games for the Twins, Phillies and Rockies. He stepped to the plate 1,564 times and produced a .236/.292/.400 line, which translates to a wRC+ of 85. A left-handed hitter, he put up a .248/.310/.425 line and 97 wRC+ against righties.
Defensively, he logged over 1,000 innings at each outfield spot. He has been credited with four Outs Above Average in his career. Defensive Runs Saved has put a minus-10 grade on him but mostly from his work in center. DRS has pegged his corner work as roughly average.
After the 2024 season, the Rockies outrighted him off the roster. Cave elected free agency and signed with the Doosan Bears in South Korea’s KBO League. In 136 games for the Bears, he put up a .299/.351/.463 line, leading to a 125 wRC+. He then went to Veracruz to begin the 2026 season and has hit .309/.340/.474 for El Águila. That’s a nice line but it’s worth pointing out that the Mexican League is a very hitter-friendly setting. The league average slash line is .287/.358/.440 this year.
The Rays currently have an outfield mix that consists of Chandler Simpson, Jonny DeLuca, Cedric Mullins, Víctor Mesa Jr. and Ryan Vilade. DeLuca and Vilade, the two righties, are having decent seasons. The other three are lefties and each came into today’s game with a wRC+ below 73. Another lefty, Jake Fraley, is on the injured list and underwent a hernia procedure last month. He has not yet begun a rehab assignment. Jacob Melton, another lefty, is on the 40-man roster but just came off the minor league IL a couple of days ago.
Cave will give the Rays a bit more depth in a part of the roster that is lacking. If someone gets hurt or the Rays just want to shake things up, Cave could be called up to join the big league team. Simpson and Mesa are optionable, if the Rays decide to go that route.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
