Kyle

Hudson

X-rays on his right thumb came back negative, but he is still dealing with some swelling and pain. Consider him day-to-day right now. Kyle Hudson will make the start in center field Tuesday and bat ninth against David Price and the Rays.

Hudson got a minor league contract and an invitation to spring training this winter from Texas. But the speedster went 2-for-16 this spring in the Cactus League. He will act as outfield depth for Tampa Bay in 2012.

Hudson, 25, went just 4-for-28 (.143) last season in the major leagues and wasn’t a whole lot better on the farm. He has zero homers in 389 minor league games.

The deal includes an invite to spring training. The Orioles were forced to release Hudson earlier this week after he failed to attract interest on waivers. The 25-year-old doesn’t have any home runs in his four-year minor league career, and has stolen 119 bases in 389 games.

Hudson was designated for assignment earlier this month and failed to attract interest on waivers. The 25-year-old has zero homers in 389 minor league games.

Hudson, who was swapped from the Rangers to the Rays at the end of spring training, was hitting .291/.378/.318 with eight RBI, seven stolen bases and a .696 OPS over his first 33 games with Triple-A Durham. While the 25-year-old knows how to draw a walk and can steal some bases, he has never hit a home run as a professional. He’ll likely serve as outfield depth at the Triple-A level.

Hudson made it up for 14 games with the O’s in 2011 before spending 2012 at Triple-A with the Phillies and Rays, batting .264/.335/.286 with no homers and 22 steals. He’s merely organizational depth.

Hudson, 27, batted .292/.386/.317 with zero homers, 33 RBI and 26 stolen bases over 103 games with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate last year. With his speed and ability to play center field, he could still carve out a niche as a bench player in the majors.

The speedy Hudson began the season in High-A but has progressed up a couple levels, hitting .297/.375/.338 with no homers and 39 steals over 417 at-bats. He figures to play sparingly in the final month.

Hudson, 24, began the season with High-A Frederick, but has quickly ascended the minor league ladder. While the 2008 fourth-round pick doesn’t have any home runs in 1,611 plate appearances in the minors, he has stolen 119 bases in 389 games. He doesn’t figure to get enough playing time to be fantasy-relevant, however.