The Rangers announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jason Martin from Triple-A Round Rock. He’ll take the active roster spot of David Dahl, who is headed to the 10-day injured list with a left rib cage contusion. Righty Kohei Arihara, who is slated to undergo shoulder surgery, was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Martin, 25, is out to a fast start in Triple-A after inking a minor league deal with Texas over the winter. The former Pirates farmhand is hitting .302/.413/.755 with seven home runs and three doubles through his first 63 trips to the plate — a far cry from the lackluster Triple-A output he produced in a pair of seasons with the Pirates’ top affiliate in Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh gave Martin brief MLB looks in both 2019 and 2020, but he hit only .200/.294/.244 in 51 plate appearances. This will be his first opportunity in the Majors with any other organization. The 2013 eighth-rounder was originally drafted by the Astros but flipped to Pittsburgh as part of the Gerrit Cole trade. The Pirates placed him on waivers at the end of the 2020 season, and he opted for free agency after going unclaimed.
The 27-year-old Dahl sustained his injury in yesterday’s game when he crashed into the right field wall as he tracked a Jared Walsh fly-ball that eventually left the yard. Formerly one of the Rockies’ top prospects — one of the top prospects in all of baseball, for that matter — Dahl’s career has been ravaged by injuries that led Colorado to non-tender him this winter rather than pay him a raise in arbitration. The Rangers took a chance on a $2.7MM deal for the former No. 10 overall pick, but he’s floundered thus far with his new team, hitting just .208/.242/.340 through 154 plate appearances.
David Dahl is only 27?! Feels like he’s been around forever.
One thing about martin is he can go get it! If he can hit .240 he has a spot in the majors
Yeah I’m excited to see what he can do with this cup of coffee
I feel like he was never really given a good look in Pittsburgh. He came up a few times but would be given a start, sit two or three games, be brought in to pinch hit and/or play D for two innings late in games on day 4 or 5 of the week, then sit another two or three games. It’s not like the Pirates had a stacked outfield either. Won’t be the next coming of Mike Trout or anything but he seems to do enough things well to earn his keep. Hope he takes advantage of the opportunity.
I wanted them to call up DeShields. I have him in Roto.
If your roto team is banking on Delino to A) actually be playing in the majors and B) be a productive fantasy player then you’re team is probably screwed anyway