St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Veteran outfielder Jay Gibbons is finally on the path back to the big leagues, after signing a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 31-year-old Gibbons hit 121 home runs during eight seasons with the Orioles, but a power drop in recent years, capped by an awful 2007 in which Gibbons hit .230 with six homers and 28 runs batted in 84 games, led the Orioles to release him in March.

Gibbons was one of the players mentioned in former Sen. George Mitchell's report on performance-enhancing drugs that was released in December, and he later admitted to using human growth hormone to help his recovery from a wrist injury.

A career .260 hitter, Gibbons hit as high as .277 three times, and drove in 100 runs in 2003, when he clubbed 23 homers. His career high for homers in a season is 26 in 2005, but he only hit 13 in 2006. The Orioles signed him to a lucrative deal that pays him nearly $12 million per season this year and next, but still released him in March.

Unable to catch on with any major league team this year, Gibbons even resorted to sending letters to nearly every team in the league, pleading his case and requesting a chance. The Brewers finally came calling.

Gibbons will start at Double-A Huntsville, and is expected to be promoted to Triple-A Nashville within the next two weeks. He could be a September call-up for the big league club.