The Rangers announced Friday that right-hander Alexis Díaz has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster goes to veteran lefty Jalen Beeks, whose previously reported one-year contract with Texas is now official.
Díaz, 29, signed a major league contract of his own with the Rangers earlier in the winter. The former Reds All-Star is bring paid $1MM this year but has struggled immensely in spring training after a discouraging 2025 showing. Díaz has appeared in three official spring games and walked four of the 13 hitters he’s faced. He’s plunked another. Considering he walked 14.1% of his opponents in the majors last year and more than 16% of his Triple-A opponents, continued command problems of this magnitude stand as a notable red flag.
It’s possible that for the Rangers, attempting to pass Díaz through waivers at some point was the plan all along. It’s become increasingly common for teams to sign free agents who have fewer than five years of service time to major league contracts with modest salaries and then pass them through waivers. (Díaz has 3.088 years of service.) Those players aren’t able to retain the remainder of their guaranteed salary upon rejecting an outright assignment. If Díaz goes unclaimed — which seems likely given last year’s struggles and his poor command this spring — he’ll very likely accept an outright assignment and give the Rangers some depth and a reclamation project with which to work at the Triple-A level.
Early in his career, Díaz looked to be following in the footsteps of older brother Edwin Díaz in a march to stardom. He finished fifth in 2022 NL Rookie of the Year voting after pitching 63 2/3 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 10 saves, 13 holds and a gaudy 32.5% strikeout rate. His 12.9% walk rate was an eyesore, but Díaz offset the free passes with a glut of strikeouts. His velocity and strikeout rate have dipped in each subsequent season, however, and Díaz’s struggles reached a tipping point last year.
The Reds optioned Díaz to Triple-A on May 1 after he was rocked for eight runs in his first six innings (during which he walked five men and hit another two). Four weeks later, he was traded to the Dodgers. Los Angeles called him up mid-July and gave him nine innings, during which he was tagged for five more runs. Díaz was designated for assignment in early September and claimed by the Braves, who gave him another 2 2/3 innings during which he served up three more runs. Díaz finished the season with an 8.15 ERA in 17 2/3 big league innings. He logged a 5.61 ERA in 25 1/3 Triple-A frames.
Díaz is a recognizable name with plenty of track record, but at this point he’s more than two full years removed from his last campaign as a high-end reliever (2023). The Rangers can spend the next five days trying to trade him before he has to be put on waivers, though he can be waived at any point in the interim as well. Any team that claims Díaz would be on the hook for that $1MM salary. As previously noted, if Díaz passes through waivers unclaimed, he’ll surely remain in the organization by accepting an outright assignment, as rejecting would mean forfeiting that $1MM guarantee.
Wow.
Surprised……..😩
Surprised they signed Diaz to a major league deal
Diaz looked like a future elite closer early in his career, but his performance has declined since his breakout years with the Cincinnati Reds. His velocity has steadily declined from 96 mph in 2022 to 93 mph in 2025. For a reliever with only two primary pitches (fastball + slider), losing 2–3 mph makes a huge difference. Hitters can react earlier and are less fooled by the fastball, which reduces strikeouts. His 15.6% walk rate is also catastrophic for a closer.
So is there a hidden injury in there somewhere? He pulled a hammy last spring, but as noted above he’s been losing velo all along. But he hasn’t been anything like the 2024 guy at all, much less the 22-23 closer.
Nothing reported other than biceps tendinitis in 2022 and, as you alluded to, the left hamstring strain last season.
I was definitely being sarcastic lol
Welcome to the Twins.
when is the last time that a guy signed to a major league deal during the offseason was DFA before the season started?
Andy Ibanez earlier this off-season by the Dodgers. Ibanez was was DFA’d when the Dodgers signed Tucker and didn’t even make it to Dodgers camp and was claimed by the A’s on Feb 6th
“The Dodgers can spend the next five days trying to trade him before he has to be put on waivers, though he can be waived at any point in the interim as well.”
The Dodgers ruining baseball again! They can even trade players that aren’t on their roster.
Love your comment, JJJ.
I Wonder what the Rangers will do for the next five days.
Def going unclaimed and high paid triple a player
Alexis just flat lost it…right now. Command just went away for some reason and he never got it back.
Diaz is giving off Derrick Turnbow vibes
Obviously as stated above there were some factors that didn’t help but he really just never threw enough strikes. A few months into 2024 it seemed like everyone knew that and just let him walk them or get behind in the count and serve up a meatball.
Rangers, not Dodgers. Do you guys need a proofreader?
Will be forever known as Edwin’s brother….