Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo has agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his agent said Monday.

The 29-year-old outfielder joins the Pirates in the National League Central as a free agent after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers' minor league affiliate Oklahoma City.

"I'll focus on what I can bring to the Pirates and do my best to help the club," Tsutsu

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo of the Tampa Bay Rays flies out in the eighth inning of a game against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on May 2, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

go said in a statement.

The Dodgers waived Tsutsugo last month after sending him down to Triple-A Oklahoma City while he was rehabbing a calf injury.

A star for the DeNA BayStars in Japan's Central League, Tsutsugo has struggled to find his footing in the majors after joining the Tampa Bay Rays on a two-year deal last season.

Traded to Los Angeles in May, he has appeared in 38 games for the Rays and Dodgers in 2021, hitting just .155 and striking out 39 times in 103 at-bats.