Hideki Matsui is expected to join the Durham Bulls, Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, early this upcoming week, according to MLB.com.

Matsui, who signed a minor league contract with the Rays on April 30, plans to travel this weekend to Toronto, where he’ll obtain a visa and then head to Durham by Tuesday. It’s unknown whether he’ll make it in time for the Bulls’ game Tuesday night.

“Over the past two decades, Hideki has been one of the most consistently productive hitters in the world,” Rays exec Andrew Friedman said. “We are happy to add his ability, approach and professionalism to our organization.”

Matsui turns 38 in June. He’s played nine seasons in the major leagues, most recently with the Oakland Athletics. He hit .251 for the A’s last season with 12 homers and 72 RBIs.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed outfielder Hideki Matsui to a minor league contract, according to Joey Nowak of MLB.com.

Matsui played for the Oakland Athletics last season; he appeared in 141 games and hit .251 with 12 home runs and 72 RBIs. He was mostly a DH but started occasionally in left field.

“Over the past two decades, Hideki has been one of the most consistently productive hitters in the world,” said Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “We are happy to add his ability, approach and professionalism to our organization.”

Matsui has a career .285 batting average with 173 home runs, 753 RBIs and 248 doubles in 1,202 games in Major League Baseball. Between his American and Japanese experience, he has a total of over 500 home runs; he’s the only player in baseball history to combine for over 500 between the U.S. and Japan.

Matsui, who turns 38 in June, will report to the Rays’ extended spring training in Florida on Wednesday.

The New York Yankees are considering adding a left-handed bat before the start of spring training, and they’re eying three of the most prominent remaining free agents on the open market, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. That would be Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.

Damon, 38, played for the Yankees previously between 2006 and ’09. He hit .282 with 24 homers for the 2009 team that won the World Series. Damon is a career .286 hitter in 17 seasons with Kansas City, Oakland, Boston, New York, Detroit and Tampa Bay.

Matsui, 37, spent his first nine major league seasons with the Yankees. He left before the 2010 season, spending one year with the Angels and one with the Athletics. He’s a career .285 hitter with 173 home runs.

Ibanez is the oldest of the three — he turns 40 in June. He was an All-Star for the 2009 Phillies. He’s a .280 hitter with 252 homers in 16 seasons with Seattle, Kansas City and Philadelphia.

A source tells Olney that one of the three sluggers could be on the team within a week.

The Detroit Tigers may look to replace Victor Martinez’s bat with either Hideki Matsui or Raul Ibanez, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.

Tigers have some interest in Matsui, Ibanez, but may be more likely to just wait on adding a Victor replacement

—
  (@DKnobler) January 23, 2012

Martinez tore his left ACL this month while undergoing offseason conditioning, and he is expected to miss all of 2012. The All-Star slugger hit .330/.380/.470 with 12 home runs and 103 RBI for the Tigers last year.

Ibanez, who will turn 40 in 2012, hit .245/.289/.419 with 20 home runs and 84 RBI for the Philadelphia Phillies last season. Matsui, 37, hit .251/.321/.375 with 12 home runs and 72 RBI for the Oakland Athletics. Both player are former All-Stars.