Rays opt not to keep Hank Blalock for bench job

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays have chosen Reid Brignac over Hank Blalock for their final bench spot, so Blalock “will assess his other major-league options for a few days” after saying earlier this week that he’d refuse an assignment to the minors. Topkin speculates that Blalock “could end up at Triple-A Durham if he doesn’t find a better opportunity” and manager Joe Maddon noted that he’d be happy to keep the veteran in the organization as a possible in-season call-up. Of course, Maddon also said “I really think he’s going to have a big year” moments after the team chose not to keep him around as a bench player, so who knows. Don’t expect Blalock to land a big-league job at this point, so whether it’s with the Rays or another team he’ll likely need a productive stint at Triple-A to re-surface in the majors.