Former WooSox veteran signs with American League East rival
Former Red Sox infielder Jamie Westbrook has found a new team for the 2025 season.
Westbrook signed a minor league deal with the Rays on Monday, the club announced. His deal includes a non-roster invite to spring training.
The Massachusetts native made his big league debut after spending 11 seasons playing in the minors with five different organizations. The veteran appeared in 21 games for the Red Sox before he was designated for assignment a month after his promotion.
Westbrook received the call to the majors back in June after infielder Vaughn Grissom went down with a right hamstring strain.
“Today’s the day I’ve always dreamed of,” Westbrook said last year to reporters at Fenway Park, gushing over his call-up. “It’s been really cool that I stuck it out this long, for sure. If you were to ask me on Draft Day coming out of high school, I would have told you that (by now) I would have made $200 million and played in the big leagues for 15 years.”
Westbrook was a popular player in the WooSox clubhouse, providing leadership and was also a consistent contributor at the plate.
In 102 games for Worcester, he’s batted .277 with a .369 on-base percentage, .450 slugging percentage, and .819 OPS to go along with 12 home runs, 24 doubles, one triple, and 71 RBIs.
With the pressure of already having made his MLB debut gone, Westbrook can just focus on making the Rays’ Opening Day roster as a key bench piece for the upcoming season.
“Just waiting [and] staying ready,” Westbrook said at Rays’ camp to reporters on Monday morning. “Felt like the best offer where I could get the best chance, kind of go from there, take it day by day, and see what comes up.”
