Fernando

Cortez

Cortez, 24, saw some time in the majors last season, but he was able to clear waivers in December and he was off to an awful start in Triple-A, hitting .222/.265/.271 in 203 at-bats. He should fall in behind Ruben Gotay and Donnie Murphy on the Royals’ depth chart. At best, he’s a future utilityman.

The Rays picked the prospect over the veteran (Luis Ordaz) to act as an infield backup while Alex Gonzalez rests. Cortez, 23, hit .333/.377/.420 in 55 games for Double-A Montgomery and .278/.301/.367 in 21 games for Durham. He’s not up for good this time, but he has a chance of becoming a long-term utilityman.

Cortez weny 1-for-13 while backing up Nick Green at second base. He’ll return in September.

Cortez looked like something of a prospect when the Rays first called him up in 2005, but he’s done little since. A 5-for-5 game last night moved the 25-year-old up to a still rather unimpressive .299/.355/.402 in the PCL. He’s just up as added insurance with Mark Grudzielanek hurting.

Cortez went 4-for-14 during his four weeks with the Royals. A left-handed-hitting utilityman is always a nice thing to have around, but Cortez isn’t much of an option at shortstop and he just doesn’t offer enough offense to warrant roster spot.

The Rays now have 39 players on their 40-man roster, allowing them to grab someone in the Rule 5 draft if they wish. Cortez, 24, made his major league debut in July, going 1-for-13 in three weeks with the Rays. He could be a future utilityman.