Blue Jays Bring Back Ricardo Nanita On Minor League Deal

Feb 23, 2013; Lakeland, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Ricardo Nanita and second baseman Emilio Bonifacio (1) score off a third baseman Brett Lawrie (not pictured) single during the top of the third inning of a spring training game at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Outfielder Ricardo Nanita has spent four seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system, waiting patiently for his shot at the big leagues. He’ll return to familiar territory again in 2014, inking a minor league contract to return to the Blue Jays again next season, according to a Twitter release by the team.

The 32-year-old Dominican is an 11-year veteran of minor league baseball, having spent time in the White Sox and Nationals organizations, as well as some time in the Mexican League before making his way to Toronto prior to the 2010 season. He spent the 2013 season split between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo, hitting a combined .258 with 6 home runs, 25 RBI, and a .688 OPS in an injury-marred season.

In 1046 career games and 4240 career plate appearances, Nanita owns a slash-line of .296/.362/.427.

The signing includes an invitation to Spring Training with the Blue Jays, making this Nanita’s sixth trip to a Major League camp in February. However, despite his long-running minor league career and his relatively decent track record, Nanita has never seen a pitch at the Major League level.

Unfortunately, he will be far down the Blue Jays outfield depth chart in 2014, making it likely that he spends another year in the Jays system.