Former slugger Carlos Pena is making a brief return to the majors.
The 37-year-old is set to sign a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, when he’ll announce his retirement.
Selected 10th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1998 draft, Pena’s major-league career spanned 14 seasons, with five of those coming with Tampa Bay.
“What the Rays mean to me is something that’s almost impossible to put into words,” Pena told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “The most fun I ever had playing baseball was in a Rays uniform.”
The All-Star first baseman slashed .230/.360/.483 with 163 home runs with the organization and was part of the first and only Rays team to reach the World Series in 2008.
SEASONS GP H HR RBI AVG/OBP/SLG
14 1493 1146 286 818 .232/.346/.462
Pena last appeared in the majors in 2014, and has been serving as an MLB Network analyst since December.
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