Rays' Blalock softens stance on demotion

ST. PETERSBURG Turns out Hank Blalock would be willing to play for the Durham Bulls, but only after exhausting all other possibilities.

Informed Friday he wouldn't make the Rays Opening Day roster, Blalock decided to seek a spot on the roster of another major-league team.

If that comes up empty, the infielder/designated hitter said he would be willing to play for the Rays Triple A team, reversing what he said Wednesday.

"First things first," Blalock said before Friday's game with the Mets at Tropicana Field. "If that (Durham) situation does present itself I've changed my mind about that, and I'm going to continue playing baseball."

The Rays decided to keep rookie Reid Brignac over Blalock, the two-time All-Star who played eight seasons with the Rangers.

The left-handed hitting Brignac will give the Rays depth at second base and shortstop and will start some games at second against right-handed pitchers. Rays manager Joe Maddon said Brignac will be the Rays' second baseman against righties. Sean Rodriguez, who bats right-handed, will play against some right-handed pitchers, too.

The Rays will give Blalock the weekend to find a job with another team.

"He is going to reach out to other teams and see if there's an opportunity at the major-league level," General Manager Andrew Friedman said. "And if not, he's going to report to Durham and play there for the foreseeable future."

Blalock signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on March 8. He played in 14 games prior to Friday, had 40 at-bats and hit .175.

A free agent after last season when he hit 25 home runs for the Rangers, Blalock remained unsigned until the Rays game calling. They were the only team to offer him a deal of any kind, and for that, Blalock said he is grateful. But the 29-year-old feels he still has major-league skills.

"I'm 29 years old, I feel good, I feel like I can still be a productive major league player for a long time, just knowing and feeling that I'm going to continue to play," he said.

But Blalock admitted he didn't have anything working with other teams.

"No, not right now," he said. "I'm under the impression that other teams have set their rosters for Opening Day. I think the best thing for me to do in a situation like this is just try to stay in the present as much as I can, so I'm going to get my at-bats (Friday night) and go to Durham with the team (Saturday), get my at-bats there, get myself season ready for whatever opportunity does come up."