Francisco agreed to a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB on Tuesday.

Francisco could not find work after opting out of his contract with the Rays at the end of spring training, so he will head overseas in an effort to improve his stock. Francisco hit 34 home runs over the last two seasons while playing for the Brewers, Braves, and Blue Jays, but he also struck out 254 times over that span.

Francisco has opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay and will become a free agent, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Francisco didn't make the major league roster and had an option to become a free agent rather than go to Triple-A. It seems unlikely he'll find another major league opening with another club, however.

Francisco has until Sunday to decide whether to accept an assignment to Triple-A Durham or use his opt-out clause, the Tampa Bay Tribune reports.

Francisco didn't make the 25-man roster and looks set to play in the minors to begin the season even if he joins another organization.

Francisco was signed by the Rays on Saturday, Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports.

He was non-tendered by the Red Sox earlier in the offseason, and will remain in the A.L. East for 2015. Francisco's strengths and flaws are pretty apparent at this point in his career. He is hopeless against lefties (.159 career average) and he has big-time power against righties (47 homers in 941 plate appearances). Look for him to get some starts at first base and DH when the Rays face a right-handed pitcher in 2015.

The Red Sox declined to tender Francisco a contract, Ben MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

This was merely a formality after the Red Sox designated Francisco for assignment last week, but the 27-year-old is now officially free to explore his other opportunities. Francisco smacked 16 homers in 2014 but went just 5-for-43 (.116 average) against lefties.

The Red Sox designated Francisco for assignment Tuesday, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

The team had to clear room on the 40-man roster with Hanley Ramirez's signing becoming official, and Francisco was the casualty. A waiver acquisition from Toronto, Francisco ended up spending less than a week in the Red Sox organization, and after he hit just .220/.291/.456 in 2014, the 27-year-old will likely have to settle for another minor league deal this winter.

Francisco was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports.

Francisco struggled in 2014 with Toronto, slashing just .220/.291/.456 in the majors while also spending time in the minors. It's unclear if he'll make Boston's major league roster for the start of the season, and he'll probably have to earn his way on through spring training.

Francisco is out of the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Barry Davis of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Francisco's playing time has completely dried up -- he has made just two starts since Aug. 19 -- with manager John Gibbons having handed the reins at third base over to Danny Valencia. The 27-year-old Francisco has clubbed 16 homers this year but is batting just .223 with a .295 OBP, so it's no guarantee he'll receive a major league contract in the offseason.

Francisco was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and one RBI in the Jays' loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon.

He drove in Toronto's only run with a seventh inning sacrifice fly and added two hits in the game, but playing time has become more and more erratic as he continues to struggle at the plate. He will continue to be a power threat when in the lineup, but his exceptionally high strikeout rate will also continue to erode his batting average (.223) and likely cost him at bats.

Francisco is out of the lineup Saturday against the Rays.

Saturday's absence will mark Francisco's third in a row, with two of coming against opposing right-handed pitchers. There has been no word of an injury, so it seems manager John Gibbons has just opted for an extended mental break for Francisco, who is 3-for-39 (.077 average) so far in August.

Francisco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

Francisco will sit for the second time in three games for the Blue Jays in favor of Danny Valencia. He has just one hit in his last 21 at-bats, and his average has now dropped to .229 on the season, leaving his roster spot questionable with the impending returns of Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind.

Francisco is not in Friday's lineup, SportsNet's Barry Davis reports.

Danny Valencia will man first base against the Tigers, as Francisco sits for the fourth time in the last seven games. He started out hot for Toronto, but his batting average is now .233 -- less than half his slugging percentage (.494). Francisco is an all-or-nothing player who absolutely cannot hit lefties (.108 average on the season).

Francisco is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros, Barry Davis of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Even with the Jays decimated by injuries, Francisco typically sits against lefties. The strikeout-prone power hitter still has some time remaining as a useful piece, but the playing time crunch is undoubtedly coming. Brett Lawrie (finger) may be back at some point next week, while both Adam Lind (foot) and Edwin Encarnacion (quad) figure to return before the end of August.

Francisco is out of the lineup Friday against the Astros.

Francisco has played each of the last five games, but will yield the start at first base to Danny Valencia on Friday. The day off wouldn't be as surprising if a lefty was on the mound, but the Astros have right-handed Collin McHugh on the mound which makes it a bit more so.

Juan Francisco is not in the Blue Jays starting lineup for Saturday's afternoon tilt against the Yankees.

It's merely a routine day of rest for Francisco against southpaw Chris Capuano. Shawn Tolleson will get the start at third base while Dan Johnson functions as the Jays designated hitter.

Juan Francisco missed a cycle by a double and drove in four runs Thursday in the win over the Red Sox.

Francisco's second-inning triple should have been caught -- it deflected off Jackie Bradley Jr.'s glove -- but it was a well-hit ball. The homer was his 15th in 215 at-bats this season. He's always going to strike out too much to hit for average, but he's been quite a contributor this season.

Juan Francisco clubbed a two-run homer in a win over the Orioles on Friday night.

It was his 11th home run of the season. Francisco has predictably come back down to Earth since his hot start, but he remains a useful power option in fantasy leagues against right-handed pitching.

Juan Francisco clubbed a two-run homer in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Tigers.

Francisco has predictably dropped off from a batting average perspective over the past couple of weeks, but the power has remained a constant. The 26-year-old has hit 10 home runs in just 123 at-bats and owns a .593 slugging percentage and a .943 OPS. He's a must-start when a right-hander is on the hill.

Juan Francisco had three hits, including two doubles, and four RBI against the Royals on Saturday.

Francisco had lost some playing time of late and entered today's game in a 1-for-16 slump since May 19. But that is Juan Francisco. The power will stick around, but between his streakiness and his defensive limitations, he's not always an easy guy to fit on a major league roster. He's probably not going to be worth playing in mixed leagues again until someone ahead of him gets hurt.

Juan Francisco went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Rays.

Francisco went deep off of Josh Lueke in the seventh inning for his ninth home run of the season. He was one of three Jays who went deep, helping extend the Jays' streak of games with a home run to ten. Francisco is slashing an impressive .276/.368/.612 with 20 RBI in only 114 plate appearances.