St. Petersburg, FL (My Sportsbook) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays designated relief pitcher John Rocker for assignment Tuesday. Rocker, who was sent to the minor leagues on May 16, has 10 days to accept his new assignment or be traded or released. He allowed six of the eight hitters he faced to reach base for the Devil Rays after being called up from Double-A Orlando on May 9. But a week later he was returned to the same team. Rocker was 2-3 with a 6.66 ERA and one save in 30 appearances with the Texas Rangers during the 2002 campaign. In 278 major league outings, Rocker is 13-22 with 88 saves while with Atlanta, Cleveland and Texas. Rocker was designated to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for pitcher Carlos Reyes, who was called up from Triple-A Durham. Also on Tuesday, pitcher Brandon Backe was optioned to Durham. Outfielder Damian Rolls, who has been out with a thumb injury, was activated from the 15- day disabled list and also optioned to Durham. |
