Ex-51 Figueroa lands on feet with Salt Lake

After contemplating retirement earlier this year, veteran infielder Luis Figueroa was given a new lease on his baseball life by the Toronto Blue Jays, who signed him late in spring training.

Reinvigorated, the 36-year-old Puerto Rico native batted .326 with 35 RBIs in 62 games for the 51s, establishing himself as one of the Pacific Coast League's top hitters.

Despite his success, the Blue Jays suddenly released Figueroa on June 30.

"I was surprised … but I guess they wanted to bring younger guys here," Figueroa said Friday from Cashman Field, where he went 2-for-5 with an RBI for the Salt Lake Bees in their 9-8 loss to Las Vegas. "I hope I did enough for them. I was doing everything they wanted me to do.

"I was looking for another chance to go to the big leagues. Hopefully I can keep doing my job here and I can get that chance with this team."

Figueroa, who has played for nine big league organizations and played every position except first base in his 14-year pro career, signed with the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

He was promptly inserted as Salt Lake's starting shortstop, taking the place of Gary Patchett, who is on the disabled list with a groin injury.

"We need to be deep in the middle part of the infield," Bees hitting coach Jim Eppard said. "When Patch comes back, it will make us a deeper team."

Figueroa also played for the Bees last year but broke his leg in April and missed most of the season. After batting .294 and averaging 112 games per year his six previous seasons in Triple A, he finished with a .241 batting average in 34 games.

In his return to Cashman Field, Figueroa doubled, singled and had two RBIs in Thursday's 9-8 loss to Las Vegas.

"It's always good to come back and see my friends," said Figueroa, who is batting .328. "Everybody's been good to me."

51s manager Dan Rohn recommended Figueroa to Toronto in spring training and was surprised when he was released to make room for 27-year-old shortstop Manny Mayorson, who was promoted from Double-A New Hampshire to Las Vegas.

"He did a great job for us," Rohn said. "You never want to release anybody."

Before signing with Salt Lake, Figueroa -- a career .125 (2-for-16) hitter in the majors -- feared the worst.

"When I got released, I thought I'm not going to play anymore," he said. "I do whatever it takes in baseball to get back to the big leagues and stay there."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.