Rangers Place Kohei Arihara on Injured List, Claim Jack Kruger
Before this afternoon’s game against the Mariners, the Rangers placed starter Kohei Arihara on the 10-day injured list with a right middle finger contusion. Utilityman Eli White has been recalled in his place. Additionally, Texas announced they’ve claimed catcher Jack Kruger off waivers from the Angels. Right-hander Kyle Cody was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster. Cody has a right shoulder impingement.
After a productive career with the Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, Arihara signed a low-cost, two-year deal with the Rangers. His MLB career hasn’t gotten off to a good start, as the righty has worked to a 6.59 ERA/5.54 SIERA over his first seven starts. Arihara has thrown a decent amount of strikes, but his 6.3% swinging strike rate and 13.4% strikeout rate are among the worst in the league. He’s also been too susceptible to the home run ball, having coughed up seven dingers in just 28 2/3 innings. With Arihara on the shelf, the Rangers could turn to Hyeon-jong Yang or Kolby Allard to fill his spot in the rotation.
Kruger is a 26-year-old catcher who made his MLB debut with Los Angeles this year. Ironically enough, he lost his spot on the Angels’ 40-man roster when L.A. acquired fellow backstop Drew Butera from the Rangers for cash considerations earlier in the week. The two catchers will essentially wind up swapping places. Kruger has a .262/.309/.354 line in 560 career Double-A plate appearances.
Rangers Activate Khris Davis, Option Eli White
The Rangers activated Khris Davis from the injured list today, the team announced. Eli White was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to create the open roster spot.
A Grade 2 left quad strain has kept Davis from making his Rangers’ debut after hitting .213 through 13 spring games. The former A’s slugger, of course, was acquired via trade along with Jonah Heim and Dane Acker. The move allowed the Rangers to shift Isiah Kiner-Falefa to shortstop, and hopefully, inject some right-handed pop into the lineup. Davis’ power is obvious, but he’s had trouble accessing it in-game over the last couple of seasons. He posted a disappointing .217/.294/.378 in 632 plate appearances over the past two years. Davis will presumably see some playing time against lefties, providing a respite for Willie Calhoun or David Dahl.
The 27-year-old White also came to the Rangers from the A’s via a 2018 three-team trade that sent Jurickson Profar to Oakland. White hasn’t found much consistency at the plate in small samples at the big league level with Texas. He owns a .155/.214/.194 line across 112 plate appearances between this season and last. White’s demotion means that Adolis Garcia will truly be the every down back in centerfield, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The 28-year-old has managed a revelatory .269/.317/.538 with seven home runs across 101 plate appearances, surprisingly taking the starting centerfield job by the horns. Leody Taveras and now White, meanwhile, have both been demoted.
Angels Acquire Drew Butera From Rangers For Cash Considerations
The Rangers have traded catcher Drew Butera to the Angels for cash considerations, Texas announced. This will be Butera’s second tour of duty with the Angels. To make room, the Angels designated Jack Kruger for assignment, per Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (via Twitter).
The 37-year-old Butera was expendable for the Rangers. Their catching corps is secure right now with Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim at the big league level and John Hicks serving as depth in Triple-A. Butera had been on the Rangers’ taxi squad, but he did not get into a game. The 11-year veteran hit .154/.190/.205 in 43 plate appearances with the Rockies in 2020.
Butera will presumably be added to the Angels’ active roster to serve as Kurt Suzuki‘s backup in the near term. Max Stassi was just placed on the 7-day concussion protocol yesterday.
Rangers Place Brock Holt On 10-Day IL, Select Andy Ibanez
The Rangers announced that they have placed infielder Brock Holt on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 3, with a right hamstring strain. In other moves, the team selected the contract of infielder Andy Ibanez from Triple-A Round Rock and moved catcher Sam Huff from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Huff is recovering from right knee surgery.
This is already the second time this season that a right hamstring strain has forced Holt to the IL, as he missed time in April with the same issue. When Holt has been healthy enough to play, the offseason minor league signing has given the Rangers respectable offensive production with a .250/.377/.295 line in 53 plate appearances. Defensively, Holt has lined up exclusively at third base, where he has shared time with Charlie Culberson.
With Holt down, Ibanez will provide the Rangers with some extra depth in their infield. The Cuba native was Baseball America’s third-ranked international prospect in 2015, when he wound up scoring a $1.6MM payday with the Rangers. Ibanez was one of BA’s top 10 Rangers prospects during his first couple of seasons with the organization, but the 28-year-old’s stock has fallen since, and he still hasn’t appeared in the majors. As a minor leaguer, Ibanez is a .285/.352/.443 hitter with 53 home runs in 1,949 plate appearances.
Injury Notes: Diaz, Springer, Arihara
Let’s begin our Monday morning by rounding up some injury news from yesterday’s games…
- Edwin Diaz left last night’s game against the Phillies after serving up a two-run double to Rhys Hoskins. Diaz was dealing with some back pain, but it doesn’t sound like the Mets are overly concerned, per Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The Mets held on for the win anyway, pulling ahead of the Phillies into a tie for first place with the Nationals. Diaz has a 4.22 ERA/2.17 FIP in 10 2/3 innings so far with three saves, a slightly-depressed 31.8 percent strikeout rate and 11.4 percent walk rate. His velocity has been good so far this year with an average 98.8 mph fastball. If he misses time, Jeurys Familia could step in as he did last name, when he snagged the final out for the save.
- George Springer was pulled from yesterday’s game because of fatigue in his legs, writes Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca. A quad injury has been bothering Springer as he tries to round himself into regular season form. While it’s a little concerning to see Springer pulled from just his fourth game of the year, it doesn’t sound as if the Blue Jays anticipate another injured list stint. Said manager Charlie Montoyo, “He felt it a little bit and we said, ‘OK, there’s no sense with this hot weather and stuff to force you to hit another at-bat or run or something. So, let’s just stop right there.'”
- Kohei Arihara received an injection in his right middle finger recently to help with some soreness around a callus, but he’s still likely to miss at least one start and potentially even land on the injured list, per MLB.com’s Daniel Guerrero. With Arihara set to miss time, Hyeon-jong Yang will move into the rotation. Yang has been good in two longer stints out of the pen, allowing just two earned runs in 8 2/3 innings. Yang was a starter in the KBO, though the 33-year-old is coming off a less-than-stellar year in which he racked up a 4.70 ERA in 172 1/3 innings over 31 starts for the Kia Tigers.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/28/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Rangers have traded 24-year-old right-hander Leon Hunter to the American League West rival Mariners for cash considerations or a player to be named later, according to an announcement from Texas. Hunter was a 35th-round pick of the Rangers in 2019 who pitched at the rookie and Low-A levels that year. He notched a minuscule 1.38 ERA and amassed 30 strikeouts against just five walks in 25 innings during his first professional action, but with no minor league campaign in 2020, Hunter was unable to build on that quality showing last season.
- The Mets announced that they’ve claimed catcher Deivy Grullon off waivers from the Rays. New York then optioned the 25-year-old to its alternate site. Grullon, whom the Rays designated on April 24, totaled 13 major league plate appearances between the Phillies and Red Sox from 2019-20. In his Triple-A debut in 2019, Grullon batted a productive .283/.354/.496 with 21 home runs in 457 PA.
Rangers Select Hyeon-Jong Yang, Option Leody Tavares
The Rangers have selected the contract of left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang, the team announced. In corresponding moves, Leody Taveras was optioned to the alternate training site, while infielder Ronald Guzman (who underwent season-ending knee surgery on Friday) was moved to the 60-day injured list.
After signing a minor league contract with Texas during the offseason, the 33-year-old Yang will now get his first crack at the major leagues, and also lock in a $1.3MM guarantee for reaching the Rangers’ active roster. Beginning his career with the Kia Tigers in 2007, Yang has posted a 3.83 ERA and 19.77% strikeout rate over 1986 career innings in KBO action.
2020 wasn’t one of his finer seasons, as Yang had a 4.70 ERA over 172 1/3 frames and a spike in his walk rate. However, at the cost of $1.3MM and a minors deal, the Rangers felt it was worth seeing what Yang could do in North American baseball, even if he can just eat some innings at the back of the rotation. Yang has tossed at least 171 1/3 innings in each of the last seven seasons, and durability was only part of his appeal, as that seven-year stretch also included two league ERA titles, the KBO MVP Award in 2017, and a championship ring with the Tigers that same year as Yang won Korean Series MVP honors.
That said, it isn’t yet clear if the Rangers will use Yang in the rotation or if he’ll be deployed in their injury-riddled bullpen. Texas already has several left-handers among their current relief options, though Yang could be used in a long relief or swingman role to get him accustomed to MLB hitters.
Taveras made his own Major League debut in 2020 and posted some respectable numbers over 134 plate appearances, but he hasn’t hit at all this season, with only an .087/.160/.087 slash line in 50 PA. Taveras’ demotion should fully clear the way for more playing time for Adolis Garcia in center field.
Sam Huff To Undergo Knee Surgery, Miss 8 Weeks
- Rangers catcher prospect Sam Huff will undergo surgery to remove a “loose body” from his right knee next Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News relays. The injury will sideline Huff for eight weeks and could prevent him from catching this season. The 23-year-old – MLB.com’s 68th-ranked prospect – produced eye-popping results during a 10-game, 33-plate appearance major league debut in 2020, when he slashed .355/.394/.742 with three home runs. Huff hadn’t even played above the High-A level when the Rangers promoted him last September.
Ronald Guzman To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery
Rangers first baseman/outfielder Ronald Guzman will undergo right knee surgery and miss the remainder of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report. Guzman suffered a torn meniscus on April 12.
Guzman, who was playing his first-ever game in the outfield, had to be carted off after incurring the injury at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. The Rangers immediately placed Guzman on the 10-day injured list, but the hope was that he would be able to rehab and return during the season. Instead, Texas will go the rest of 2021 without Guzman, who’s in his final pre-arbitration year.
Now 26, Guzman was a prospect of some note during his younger days in the Texas organization. But Guzman hasn’t produced much in the majors, where he has put up a .227/.304/.414 line with 31 home runs over 826 plate appearances. He finished with one hit (a homer) and a walk in 17 PA this year.
Guzman was splitting time at first base with Nate Lowe prior to the injury, and the latter has since commandeered the position. Lowe, whom the Rangers acquired from the Rays over the winter, has slashed .254/.346/.493 with five HRs in 81 trips to the plate this season.
Rangers Activate Willie Calhoun, Brock Holt
The Rangers have activated Willie Calhoun and Brock Holt from the injured list, the team announced. Wes Benjamin and Anderson Tejada have been optioned to the Rangers’ alternate site.
Calhoun will make his first appearance of the season as the Rangers’ designated hitter tonight. He’s looking for a breakout season after struggling to establish himself as an impact bat since his arrival in Texas via the Yu Darvish trade of 2017. The 26-year-old stumbled to more dramatic effect in 2020, slashing just .190/.231/.260 in 108 plate appearances. Holt, for his part, was off to a strong start through four games after making the team on a minor league contract. He’ll take back the role of utility infielder from Tejada.
Benjamin has thrown 5 2/3 innings this season, allowing 3 earned runs on four hits and six walks while striking out five. The 27-year-old Illinois native made his ML debut last season for the Rangers, tossing 22 1/3 innings of 4.84 ERA baseball.