Rays call up Head, 31-year-old reliever who was selling solar panels last year

Louis Head is getting ready to make his major-league debut after being called up by the Tampa Bay Rays, and the reliever's path to the majors is an intriguing one.

Head, who celebrates his 31st birthday on Friday, had his contract selected by the Rays as a corresponding move of putting Diego Castillo on the COVID-19 injured list. The move comes less than one year after the right-hander was released last May by the Seattle Mariners.

Even further, Head assumed he was finished with baseball at the time and had begun selling solar panels door-to-door in Arizona, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

In seven appearances this spring for the Rays, Head posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in six innings.

Head has not appeared in a professional game since 2019, when he made 22 appearances in the Los Angeles Dodgers' minor-league system. In 32 2/3 innings across three levels, Head authored a 6.34 ERA and 1.75 WHIP.

The Rays' bullpen has been hit hard by injury early this season. Along with Castillo being sidelined, Nick Anderson, Pete Fairbanks, Chaz Roe, Jalen Beeks, Oliver Drake, Collin McHugh, and Colin Poche are all also injured.