Rays signed RHP Andrew Wantz to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Wantz made just one relief appearance last year for the Halos, but has recorded a strong 3.88 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 126/48 K/BB ratio across 118 1/3 innings (91 appearances) dating back to 2021. The 29-year-old righty handed out a ton of free passes, but also struck out nearly 32 percent of the batters he faced over 23 1/3 innings last year for Triple-A Salt Lake, which is presumably why Tampa Bay wants to get him into their pitching lab during spring training. He’s a low-risk lottery ticket for the Rays.