RAYS SIGN LOPEZ TO MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACT

For Immediate Release courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays
February 2, 2011 

ST. PETERSBURG, FL—The Tampa Bay Rays have signed infielder Felipe Lopez to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring training.  Lopez, 30, spent the 2010 season with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, batting a combined .233 (91-for-391) with eight home runs, 37 RBI and eight stolen bases.  He appeared in 113 games split between third base (60 games, 52 starts), second base (27 games, 19 starts) and shortstop (25 games, 19 starts). The switch-hitter has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays (2001-02), Cincinnati Reds (2003-06), Washington Nationals (2006-08), Cardinals (2008, 2010), Arizona Diamondbacks (2009), Milwaukee Brewers (2009) and Red Sox (2010).  Lopez owns a career .266 batting average with 88 home runs and 123 stolen bases.  In 2005 with Cincinnati, he was named a National League All-Star and won a National League Silver Slugger Award at shortstop.  He was originally drafted by Toronto as the eighth overall selection of the 1998 June Draft. 13 Days Until Pitchers and Catchers Report