St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Rays inked free agent starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez to a one-year contract on Tuesday.

Hernandez pitched in just three games a season ago for the Indians, going 0-3 with a 7.53 earned run average over 14 1/3 innings. The 32-year-old was held up in his native Dominican Republic for most of the year due to visa issues stemming from an arrest for using a false name.

The right-hander, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, has gone 53-69 with a 4.64 ERA in 184 games (153 starts) for Cleveland since arriving in the majors for the 2006 campaign.

Tampa is taking a gamble that Hernandez can regain his 2007 form, when he went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 32 starts for the Tribe, which advanced to the ALCS that season.

12/18 17:19:17 ET