ST. PETERSBURG -- The poster boy for Team Mexico received a hero's welcome in his return to the Devil Rays on Sunday.

Gone since March 2 while playing second base for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, Jorge Cantu was met with raucous applause as he strode to the plate for his first at-bat.

The crowd amplified and Cantu showed his gratitude by doubling in designated hitter Rocco Baldelli and left fielder Carl Crawford. Cantu then straightened up at second and doffed his helmet, drawing more cheers. He completed his comeback outing by scoring from third on a slide that evaded a tag from Twins catcher Joe Mauer and put the Rays up, 3-0. Cantu walked to the dugout with a bounce in his step. It felt good to be back.

And it looked like Cantu hasn't missed a beat.

"[In the tournament], it was like we were playing a playoff game every single game," Cantu said. "So I'm ready to play and just glad to be back. I've been checking out the [Devil Rays] every night on the Internet to see how my teammates are doing.

"[It] looks like we're heading in the right direction."

Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon sounded equally happy to have Cantu back in the lineup. Maddon said aside from the two RBIs that got the team going from the get-go, Cantu is a large part of the future the club is building toward.

"Not only athletically or skillfully, but this man's heart," he said. "Talk about building a championship organization, a championship team, and a lot of it has to do with what's going on inside people, and this guy has all the right stuff, as far as I can see.

"To me, the best thing about Jorge Cantu is how he is."

Cantu established himself as a leader in the time he was with Team Mexico, hitting .333 (8-for-24) with one walk, along with team highs of two homers and eight RBIs. He drove in both of Mexico's runs in its final game, a 2-1 win over Team USA.

The win was admittedly one of his favorite moments.

"If they do [the Classic] every three years, I will be there," he said.

McClung shines: Right-hander Seth McClung lowered his spring ERA to 1.29 in a commanding five innings on Sunday. He earned his second spring win in a 6-5 decision over the Twins, allowing two runs on eight hits and striking out five in five innings. He left to a standing ovation in the sixth with no outs after giving up back-to-back singles to Shannon Stewart and Andres Torres.

The two runs Minnesota scored in the first inning were the first McClung had allowed this spring, a combined nine innings to that point.

"I was upset about it, but this is Spring Training, and the results are inconsequential," he said. "I'm just trying to get my work in and be ready for the season. I'm ready to go, I'm there."

Maddon supports Kazmir: When Rays starter Scott Kazmir struggled in a 16-7 loss to the Twins on Saturday, some wondered if his chances to be a part of the rotation had slimmed. Kazmir walked five of the seven batters he faced in the first inning, resulting in a four-run first. He left after one-third of an inning, five walks, a hit and a strikeout, but Maddon said he has a lot of faith in the southpaw.

"I have no qualms about him whatsoever," Maddon said. "This guy is going to be one of the best pitchers in the American League within the next three years. I think the world of him. That stuff just happens."

Roster shuffle: The team signed righty Al Reyes to a Minor League deal with a Spring Training invite on Sunday. Reyes, a 35-year-old 13-year Major League veteran most recently with the Cardinals, is at the tail end of rehabilitating his arm from Tommy John surgery in the fall.

To make room on the roster, the Rays sent Jason Hammel to Minor League camp before Sunday's game. Hammel had a 6.00 ERA over nine innings, and gave up two homers.

"[Maddon said] I made a good impression, and to go down and log some innings ... and see you in a little bit," Hammel said. "It was just consistency [I need to work on], basically. [I need to] go out there and do what I've been doing, and be ready to do work there."

Notes: Devil Rays senior adviser Don Zimmer will be a guest on Bay News 9's Rock Riley's sports show at 11 a.m. ET on Monday.

Quotable: "He's got great hands. He can't help it. God gave him great hands when he was born. He's got wonderful hands to hit with." -- Maddon, on Cantu

Up next: The Rays host the Pirates at 1:05 ET on Monday at Al Lang Field at Progress Energy Park in St. Petersburg. It is the second meeting between the two teams, as the Rays won, 7-4, on March 12 in Bradenton. Tampa Bay will hand the ball to righty Edwin Jackson, 22, who had three strikeouts in two innings in his win over Cincinnati on March 5. Pittsburgh counters with righty Brandon Duckworth.