ST. PETERSBURG -- First baseman Travis Lee will be back with the Devil Rays, but it appears set-up man Joe Borowski will not.

Lee agreed to arbitration Monday, which meant the Rays had to clear a roster spot for him on Tuesday. They created a spot by designating Borowski for assignment.

Borowski, 34, was one of seven arbitration-eligible Rays players the club had to make a decision about offering a contract by Tuesday's midnight non-tender date. The team has not yet made public those decisions, but the move with Borowski makes it highly unlikely he will be back with the club in 2006.

The right-hander was signed by the Rays on July 11 after being released by the Cubs and he provided a much-needed spark to the Rays' relief corps. In his first 20 appearances, he posted a 1-0 mark in 21 innings pitched and no runs -- including 11 perfect appearances -- while opponents hit just .103 against him. The 21 scoreless innings set a career high for Borowski and established a Rays record. Rolando Arrojo held the previous mark of 18 set in 1998.

In Borowski's final 12 appearances, he went 0-5 and allowed 15 earned runs in 14 innings and opponents hit .328 against him.

The other Rays arbitration eligible players are: catcher Toby Hall and pitchers Casey Fossum, Mark Hendrickson, Travis Harper, Trever Miller, and Jesus Colome.

A player who accepts arbitration is locked into his team, and the two sides can continue negotiations toward a one-year or multiyear agreement before reaching a hearing. Those declining the offer face a Jan. 8 deadline to be re-signed. Thereafter, they cannot sign with their old teams until May 1, as with free agents who were not offered arbitration on Dec. 7.

If a player goes to arbitration, both the player and organization must file between Jan. 5-15 with figures being exchanged on Jan. 18. Hearings begin on Feb. 1.