Kaz Matsui wasn't a free agent for long. Just hours after his official release from the Astros, he agreed to a minor league deal with the Rockies. Matsui has struggled this year – his batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage all fall short of .200 – but he has succeeded in Colorado before.
Matsui passed his physical, so he will report to Triple A Colorado Springs, where he first played in 2006. GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck that Matsui's first stint in Colorado contributed to the team's current interest.
"We all remember the magic of 2007," O'Dowd said. "But I also know that this is 2010."
MLB.com's Thomas Harding reported the deal after Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported mutual interest between the team and Matsui.
Matsui was off to a poor start at the plate, hitting .141/.197/.155. That's not the only reason he doesn't fit on the Rockies' major league roster, as I wrote last week. However, adding an extra middle infielder to the minor leagues is a cheap way for the Rockies to build depth.
This is stupid. i want to see EY2 given the starting job. Once he comes off the DL they’ll probably put him behind Barmes and Kaz and he’ll never play. His numbers in the major were pretty good given his limited playing time and his minor numbers are great.