Austin

Slater

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Simpson will receive another full day off to address a lingering thumb bruise that he’s been dealing with since last week. The 25-year-old speedster is available off the bench. The hope is that the additional rest puts the ailment to bed. Austin Slater gets the nod in left field to face Red Sox lefty Connelly Early on Monday night with Simpson missing his third straight game.

Slater signed a minor league deal on May 27 and hit .348 in six games at Triple-A. The 33-year-old has always done most of his damage against left-handed pitching, so he figures to fulfill a short-side platoon role when he arrives in Tampa Bay.

Slater becomes the latest Mets castoff to land with the Rays following reliever Craig Kimbrel down to Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old veteran, who heads to his third organization since the start of this season, makes a ton of sense for the club’s platoon-heavy approach and could find his way to the big leagues as an injury replacement at some point this summer.

Slater will test the free agent waters instead of sticking around as organizational depth with the Mets. The 33-year-old bench outfielder hit .250 (5-for-20) with one RBI during a nine-game stint with New York before they decided to move on last week.

The 33-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment on Tuesday but passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to serve as extra outfield depth for the Mets. He’s slashing a ghastly .209/.286/.233 with a 31 percent strikeout rate over 49 plate appearances between the Mets and Marlins this season.

Slater was signed to the team at the end of April but only appeared in nine games for the Mets. On the season, he’s slashing .209/.286/.233 with a 31 percent strikeout rate in 49 plate appearances between the Mets and Marlins.

Slater gets an opportunity with the Mets on a prorated deal as a direct replacement for veteran outfielder Tommy Pham after going 4-for-23 in 12 games for the Marlins to open the season. The 33-year-old makes sense as a lefty-mashing part-time specialist, but that’s pretty much the extent of his appeal at this stage of his career.

Nevermind, Nick Morabito; it’s going to be Slater replacing the soon-to-be DFA’d Tommy Pham as a spare right-handed outfielder in Queens. Slater, 33, was just cut by the Marlins after opening the season 4-for-23. He’ll start in left or right against lefties.

The 33-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He passed through waivers unclaimed and rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Jacksonville, he’ll explore the open market instead. Slater hit just .174 (4-for-23) with one RBI and one stolen base in his limited action with the Marlins.

No word yet on the corresponding move, but it’s likely speedster Esteury Ruiz coming off the injured list for Friday’s series opener against the Giants, not a pitching prospect like Robby Snelling or Thomas White being promoted. Slater hit .174 (4-for-23) with zero extra-base hits, one RBI and one steal in 12 games for the Marlins after signing a one-year contract last month. The 33-year-old is merely a bench option against left-handed pitchers at this stage of his career.