Hideki Matsui designated for assignment by Rays, MLB career appears over

Hideki Matsui's MLB career could be over as the Rays designated him for assignment. (Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)

Hideki Matsui may have played his last Major League Baseball game as the the Tampa Rays have designated the designated hitter for assignment in order to create a spot for the recently acquired Ryan Roberts, according to a report Wednesday afternoon from C. Trent Rosecrans of CBSSports.com:

His last at-bat as a Ray, and likely as a Major League player, came Sunday when he popped up with two on and two out to end a 2-1 loss to the Mariners.

It would be a rather anticlimactic end to an otherwise illustrious career highlighted by his 2009 World Series MVP as a member of the New York Yankees. Over the course of his 10-year career, in which he also played for the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A's, Matsui hit .282/.360/.462 and recorded 175 home runs.