The Rangers have activated second baseman Rougned Odor from the 10-day DL, the club announced. To create an opening, the club has designated infielder/outfielder Renato Nunez for assignment.
Odor has missed much of the still-young season with a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old is still looking to get back on track after a miserable 2017 campaign. It’s promising, at least, that he showed much-improved plate discipline (seven strikeouts and four walks) in his 41 plate appearances, though he wasn’t delivering much of his trademark power.
Clearly, it’s too soon to read much into that brief showing. Odor’s struggles in the on-base department are not new. Even when he swatted 33 home runs with an above-average overall batting output in 2016, he sported a sub-.300 OBP. But he reached base at a piddling .252 rate last year, which left him as one of the league’s least-useful regular hitters despite the fact that he put the ball over the fence thirty times.
Texas has plenty riding on the outcome. He’s owed $43.5MM from 2019 through 2022 (including the buyout on a 2023 option) under the extension he signed before the 2017 seas. Odor only recently turned 24 and the club is not contending at the moment, so there’s ample reason to exercise patience and allow him to continue getting reps.
As for Nunez, also 24, he was claimed last month off waivers from the Athletics. He has received brief MLB time in each of the past three seasons. In total, Nunez carries only a .167/.222/.273 slash in 72 plate appearances at the game’s highest level, though he was productive (.249/.319/.518 with 32 home runs) last year at Triple-A.
Nunez a guy who can hit but can’t play defense. This is why you never sign DH players to long contracts because you can find hitters.
The A’s signed him (and not to a long term contract) when he was 16.
kinda scary to think that before Texas claimed him, he had been with the A’s org the longest out of the current roster
Why is that scary? Players who are drafted and make MLB rarely stay with their original team. No idea why everyone dings the A’s on this, its not like they gave up Anthony Rizzo, Trea Turner and Corey Kluber for nothing 🙂
not dinging the A’s at all, I just had no idea he was the longest tenured Athletic is all
He got just over $2 millions when he signed!
You can “find hitters” when MLB juices the ball.
They need to get rids of the DH though so the American League can play real baseball again.
watching unskilled people try and hit MLB pitching isnt “real baseball”
So for 2017 and 2018 Nunez brought more WAR than Odor?
back to the A’s! please haha
He’s absolutely horrible, you must hate winning.
You NL non-DH people are dead wrong. The game didn’t change when the DH was introduced, it changed when pitchers stopped practicing and caring about hitting. The DH just recognizes that reality. Also the managerial strategy thing is garbage. Oh double switch so brilliant. In the AL a manager has to really know when it’s time to take out a pitcher, the decision isn’t made for him by the score and when the useless pitcher is coming to bat.
Hitting at a MLB level is a completely different skill to pitching at a MLB level, and its ridiculous to think everyone can do both if they just “put in more effort” or “practiced more”.
Whenever position players come into pitch in blowouts, its viewed as a novelty or “funny”, but in the NL when pitchers come to do a skill they aren’t good at, it happens multiple times every single game. Stop it, NL.
Great insight.
thanks!
cazarm let it go man. You are arguing against yourself when you start these things.
He’s making great points I agree with too. The NL needs the DH and that’s facts. Even if its a half-assed thing where managers can decide to use a DH or let the pitcher hit, something has to give. Watching pitchers have .200 OPS STINKS to watch and isnt what we pay too much money to watch. Professional hitters only please.
Professional Baseball Players only please. Those who have to throw, field, run and hit.
Braves immediately designate Jose Bautista to be on the safe side.
Now that’s funny!
Why, he owns the Rangers
White Sox turn to give him a chance.
Renato Nunez back to A’s so that Oakland pairs in with Kris Davis, pure power duo. Who cares Nunez is not a Brooks Robinson at third – A’s already have Chapman at third anyway…