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Rangers Release Kevin Pillar

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TODAY: The Rangers announced that Pillar has been released after clearing waivers.

MAY 25: The Rangers announced a trio of moves, including the previously reported news of outfield prospect Alejandro Osuna joining the active roster and DH Joc Pederson being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hand fracture.  To create space on the 40-man roster for Osuna’s contract selection, Texas designated outfielder Kevin Pillar for assignment.

Pillar signed a minor league contract with the Rangers this past winter, and some injuries to other outfielders opened the door for Pillar to make the Opening Day roster.  Playing mostly in center field with some addition time in both corner outfield slots, Pillar’s contributions have been almost entirely on the defensive side, as he has batted only .209/.209/.265 over 43 plate appearances.  He also missed a little over two weeks of action due to a bad back that required a stint on the 10-day IL.

Sam Haggerty’s emergence as the new everyday center fielder and the Rangers’ decision to call up Osuna left Pillar as the odd man out, even with Texas still missing some notable names on the injured list.  Evan Carter has been on the IL for a week due to a Grade 2 strain of his right quad, but despite that more severe variety of strain, Carter may be on track for a relatively quick return.  Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) yesterday that Carter may be able to start a minor league rehab assignment by next weekend, as Carter is already doing running drills and has been cleared for live batting practice.

Pillar has now played for 10 different teams over the course of his 1234 career games and 13 seasons in the big leagues.  One of the game’s top defensive center fielders back during his heyday with the Blue Jays, Pillar has carved out a lengthy career as a part-time or fourth outfielder, despite a lack of production at the plate (i.e. a .255/.293/.405 career slash line).

Because Pillar has been previously outrighted in his career, he has the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers and the Rangers try to outright him to Triple-A.  It could be that Pillar will accept such an assignment and bide his time waiting for his next chance on the Texas roster, or he might explore his options to see if another club can offer a clearer path to big league playing time.  It also isn’t out of the question that Pillar may consider hanging up his cleats for good, as the 36-year-old strongly considered retiring last season before deciding to return for the 2025 campaign.

Poll: Should The Rangers Shake Up The Lineup?

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The Rangers have had a rough go of it so far in the month of May. They’ve gone just 11-15 on the month entering play today, including an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the White Sox last week, and three of those 11 wins came at the expense of a hapless Rockies club that has still not yet won its tenth game of the season. That’s left the team three games under .500, four games back in the AL Wild Card race, and 4.5 games back of the Mariners in the AL West. Those struggles have come in spite of a rotation so dominant that a fully healthy and effective Jacob deGrom is arguably the #3 starter this year by the results.

To find the culprit of the Rangers’ struggles, one need look no further than the starting lineup. The club’s hitters have posted a collective .219/.281/.354 slash line this year with a wRC+ of 80 that’s better than only that of the Pirates and Rockies. Texas has the lowest on-base percentage in the majors and the fewest runs scored in the AL. Going position-by-position, they have been in the bottom half of the league in wRC+ at almost every position in the majors with below-average production everywhere except third base and left field. Those positions are salvaged by standout performances from Josh Jung and Wyatt Langford, but the rest of the lineup is faltering.

That’s not to say there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, however. Josh Smith remains an above average hitter overall on the year, and perhaps he can shake his current cold stretch (.233/.295/.337 in May) once he’s relieved of the defensive rigors of serving as the club’s everyday shortstop. Smith took that role up in the absence of Corey Seager, who has been his typical excellent self when healthy but has appeared in just 27 games this season due to injuries. Seager’s recent return and the likely impending return of Evan Carter from the injured list leaves the Rangers with some decisions to make about their lineup, as discussed recently by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Seager’s return yesterday (albeit as a DH) pushed Sam Haggerty out of the lineup, but that leaves no room for Carter unless the club is willing to pull the plug on outfielder Alejandro Osuna despite him having looked good in his first cup of coffee as a big leaguer. Once Carter returns, Grant suggests that it could mean a shift in playing time for second baseman Marcus Semien and/or right fielder Adolis Garcia. Both veterans were key pieces of the club’s 2023 World Series championship but struggled through below-average (99 wRC+ for Semien, 92 for Garcia) seasons last year. 2025 has been far worse for both hitters, with Semien slashing just .173/.260/.224 (42 wRC+) on the year while Garcia has posted a lackluster .208/.256/.371 (74 wRC+) line.

The pair’s expected numbers are better than their current production, leaving the door cracked open to optimism for a rebound, but even those numbers would be good for merely average offensive production. As things stand, neither of those performances are acceptable for a big league regular. With the first two months of the season in the books and other hitters starting to get healthy, the leash for both veterans may be shortening. It’s hard to imagine the Rangers cutting either player (particularly with three years and $72MM left on Semien’s deal after 2025), but some sort of change appears to be necessary.

On paper, using lefty hitters on the club like Smith and Osuna as platoon partners for the righty-swinging Semien and Garcia could make some sense. A look under the hood reveals that may not be as helpful as it might seem, however; Garcia is actually roughly average (99 wRC+) against right-handed pitching this year but has gone just 7-for-48 with one walk and one double against southpaws. Semien, meanwhile, is hitting lefties better than righties but is striking out at a 30.8% clip against southpaws with a 51 wRC+. Whatever advantage he has against opposite-handed pitching is more of a commentary on his struggles against fellow righties than a sign of actual success.

If neither player makes sense as a candidate for a platoon role, then perhaps the Rangers’ best option would simply be to decrease the playing time of both hitters slightly. A reduction in playing time could be tough to stomach for the veterans, particularly in the case of an iron man like Semien who last played less than 159 games in a full season back in 2017, but it seems clear that something needs to change for the Rangers moving forward. The club could also consider benching either one for the time being to offer a physical breather and mental reset, but Semien’s solid defense at second base would be missed and, as previously mentioned, Garcia has performed decently enough at least against right-handed pitching.

How would MLBTR readers handle the situation? Would you fully bench one of the two struggling veterans, continue sticking with them as regulars in the lineup, or try to work out a timeshare between all of the Rangers’ bats? Have your say in the poll below:

Rangers Sign Alan Trejo, Billy McKinney To Minor League Deals

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The Rangers signed Alan Trejo and Billy McKinney to minor league contracts. Both moves were initially reflected on the MiLB.com transaction log, and they’ve each already appeared for Triple-A Round Rock.

It’s the second Texas stint of the season for Trejo. The glove-first utility player signed with the Rangers over the offseason. He spent a month in Round Rock before the Rockies expressed interest in calling him up. Texas dealt him to Colorado for cash considerations to facilitate the promotion. Trejo spent a few weeks on the Rox’s MLB roster while they navigated injuries to Ezequiel Tovar and Tyler Freeman. He appeared in 13 games and hit .175 with a pair of doubles.

A former 16th-round draft choice, Trejo has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons. All of that time has come in Colorado. He’s a lifetime .224/.269/.325 hitter against big league pitching. Trejo has spent time in the Dodgers system plus his brief early-season stint in Round Rock but hasn’t gotten to the majors with any team besides the Rockies. He’s hitting .211/.247/.352 in 19 Triple-A games this year. He won’t provide much at the plate but can competently cover any infield position.

McKinney, 30, was released from a minor league deal with the Mets last week. He’s a left-handed hitting first baseman/corner outfielder who has played at the big league level with seven different clubs. McKinney carries a .209/.284/.386 batting line in a little under 1000 MLB plate appearances. He’d been out to a rough start for the Mets’ top farm team, hitting .184/.285/.307 with 34 strikeouts over 33 games. McKinney has a much more solid .266/.354/.487 slash in parts of eight Triple-A seasons. He’ll try to find that form in the Pacific Coast League.

Rangers Not Considering Kumar Rocker For Closer Role

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May 26: Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young today denied that Rocker is being considered for a closer role, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Young said it’s possible Rocker ends up pitching in relief due to various circumstances, though it’s not something the club is targeting. “We see him as an MLB starter in the short- and long-term,” Young said. “Is there a way we need him in some capacity in the bullpen? Perhaps, but that is neither the focus nor the plan. We’ve not talked about it.”

May 25: Rangers brass are contemplating trying hard-throwing youngster Kumar Rocker in the closer role when he returns from the injured list, according to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Rocker is currently rehabbing from a right shoulder impingement that’s kept him sidelined over the past month, but is already on a rehab assignment and expected to be ready to return in the near future.

Moving a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport to the bullpen despite him having started all eight games of his major league career to this point would be something of a bold move, but it’s also an understandable one to consider for a team badly in need of a spark. The Rangers currently sport a 26-28 record that leaves them on the outside looking in of the AL playoff picture. Much of those struggles have been down to an anemic offense that has struggled to generate runs despite having big name players like Wyatt Langford, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson up and down the lineup.

Perhaps the team that entered play today tied for the third-fewest runs scored in the majors could put themselves in a better position to succeed if their pitching was top-notch; after all, the Rangers are tied with the Royals in terms of runs scored, and Kansas City is currently clinging to the final AL Wild Card spot with a 29-25 record thanks in large part to a team ERA of 3.07, second in baseball behind only the Mets. The Rangers are no slouches when it comes to pitching, themselves, as their team ERA of 3.38 is good for sixth in the majors. Notably, however, much of that prowess has come from a starting rotation that has featured standout performances from veterans Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle. Rocker has not been part of that success, as even when healthy he’s pitched to a lackluster 8.10 ERA in five starts this year despite solid peripherals.

The bullpen, on the other hand, is a place where Rocker may be able to make an impact. The Rangers have dealt with a middling bullpen for years, and despite overhauling the unit this offseason that remains the case as they’ve pitched to a 4.20 ERA that’s good for just 19th in the majors. Adding an electric arm like that of Rocker to the mix could help the Rangers hold onto leads late in games, especially with veteran relief ace Chris Martin currently on the shelf due to shoulder fatigue without a clear timeline for his return to action. If Rocker can dominate out of the bullpen by pitching at max-effort and not worrying about trying to go multiple innings, then it’s possible that he could get acclimated to the majors more effectively as a reliever and help the Rangers where they’re most in need of a jolt on the pitching side of things.

While starting a top pitching prospect’s career in the bullpen is unusual, it’s hardly unprecedented. Chris Sale stands as perhaps the most notable example of an ace hurler who began in the major league bullpen before converting back to the rotation later on, but Garrett Crochet, Jeff Samardzija, and Texas’s own C.J. Wilson are among a handful of other notable names. Hurlers have even begun converting from relief to rotation roles later in their career in recent years, with Seth Lugo and Clay Holmes standing out as notable examples from the past few seasons. Of course, this strategy would still come with some risk. There’s no guarantee that Rocker would immediately take to a role change, and even if he did the Rangers would effectively be hollowing out some of their rotation depth by not letting Rocker stay stretched out and using him in shorter bursts.

AL West Notes: Trout, Soler, Seager, Gilbert, Miller

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Mike Trout is seemingly nearing a return to action, as the Angels superstar has been taking part in batting practice sessions and running drills, and is set to start running the bases within the next few days’ time.  Trout has been out since April 30 due to a bone bruise in his left knee, and when he does get back, it isn’t clear whether or not Trout will return to outfield duty or if he’ll get more time as a DH in order to help preserve his health.  Halos manager Ron Washington told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and other reporters that the focus right now is just on getting Trout healthy, and “once Mike is back, we can have that conversation right there” about his spot in the lineup.

After years as the Halos’ center fielder, Trout began 2025 in right field, already as a way to try and reduce the wear-and-tear on the oft-injured star.  Of course, if Trout takes on more of a regular DH role, that would force Jorge Soler into more right field work, which wouldn’t bode well for the L.A. defense given Soler’s long history of subpar glovework.  While Washington has felt Soler has “done an outstanding job” in 13 appearances as a right fielder this season, the team feels keeping Soler in right field only in limited fashion is the best solution to help Soler’s overall game.  “Running him out there five, six days in a row, we’re not going to do that.  But give him two days, a change from just hitting, will help him focus more,” Washington said.

More injury updates from around the AL West…

  • Corey Seager hasn’t played since May 10 due to a right hamstring strain, though Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) that the star shortstop could be ready to return at some point this week.  Friday seems to be the loose target date, though Seager could be back earlier given the increased ramp-up of his prep work — Seager has been taking part in running and fielding drills, and also took part in a live batting practice on Saturday.  The plan is to have these baseball activities get Seager into game-ready mode without the need for a minor league rehab assignment.  This is already Seager’s second hamstring-related IL stint of the season, which is why he has been limited to 26 games and 107 plate appearances in 2025.  As usual, Seager has been excellent (.300/.346/.520 with six home runs) when he has been able to play, and the offensively-challenged Rangers could badly use that bat in their struggling lineup.
  • Mariners starters Bryce Miller and Logan Gilbert each threw simulated games on Friday, with Miller throwing around 25 pitches and Gilbert going higher with 35.  It was exactly a month ago that Gilbert was pulled from a start due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, and while Friday’s session was a good step forward, the right-hander suggested to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer and other reporters that he has a ways to go in his throwing progression.  This could mean another sim game and perhaps multiple minor league rehab starts before Gilbert is back in Seattle’s rotation.
  • Miller (on the 15-day IL since May 12 due to elbow inflammation) is hopeful of returning as early as this week, though manager Dan Wilson expressed some caution.  In perhaps more of a long-term concern, Miller told Kramer and company that some tests revealed that his elbow was structurally fine overall, but “there’s something in there that causes inflammation and something I can’t just take out without missing the rest of the year.  So this ideally gets me to the end of the year, and then we can reassess and see if I need to clean it up or anything.”  These comments somewhat expand on the lingering health issues the righty hinted at when speaking with the media at the time of his initial IL placement, and the exact nature of these injuries may not be known until or unless Miller does get a clean-up procedure at season’s end.  With a 5.22 ERA over his first 39 2/3 innings this year, something has clearly seemed amiss with Miller’s performance, and there’s naturally some risk in trying to tough out several more months of pitching before properly addressing the problem.

Rangers To Promote Alejandro Osuna

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The Rangers are poised to select the contract of outfielder Alejandro Osuna, according to a report from Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The news comes after DH Joc Pederson suffered a fractured right hand during today’s game against the White Sox that is expected to leave him sidelined for the next six weeks. Osuna is not yet on the 40-man roster, and the Rangers will need to make a corresponding move to clear 40-man roster space.

Osuna, 22, signed with the Rangers out of Mexico back in 2021. The youngster has gradually climbed through the minor leagues while splitting time fairly evenly between all three outfield spots and boasts a solid .277/.370/.436 slash line in 373 career games across all levels of the minors. Osuna got his first taste of the upper minors last last year following a call-up to Double-A over the summer, and he responded by slashing an excellent .306/.379/.523 in 57 games. The Rangers decided to be cautious with Osuna and keep him at Double-A to start the 2025 campaign after Evan Carter failed to make the Opening Day roster and was optioned to Triple-A.

The outfielder’s numbers weren’t quite as impressive in his repeat of Double-A, as he hit just .283/.363/.409 in 31 games, but that was still enough to convince the Rangers to promote him to the highest level of the minors earlier this month. He has just seven games under his belt with the club’s affiliate in Round Rock, but he’s impressed in that limited time with a .485 on-base percentage and more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven). Between Osuna’s hot start to his time at Triple-A and the injury to Pederson, it seems as though the Rangers have decided now is the time to call the youngster up and see what he can do in the majors.

Currently ranked as Texas’s #7 prospect according to MLB.com, scouts view Osuna as a player with a real chance to stick in center field who faces questions about his ability to hit lefties, though he made strides on that front last year, and his power potential despite solid bat-to-ball skills and improving exit velocities. He posted brilliant numbers in big league camp with the Rangers this spring and draws comparison to Alex Verdugo for his approach at the plate. Longer term, he’ll likely need to either stay viable in center or tap into more power in order to be a big league regular, but that doesn’t mean he can’t provide a spark for the Rangers while Pederson is out of commission.

Providing a spark is exactly what the 22-year-old will be tasked with doing for a beleaguered team that fell to 25-28 today, leaving them in fourth place in the AL West and three games out of an AL Wild Card spot. It’s unclear whether the lefty-hitting Osuna is expected to play DH or perhaps help fill in for Carter in center field, where Sam Haggerty has been tasked with playing every day recently. Perhaps he could even be tasked with spelling Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia in the outfield corners. Wherever he ends up playing, it seems fair to expect that Kyle Higashioka will continue to get occasional reps at DH against left-handed pitchers, with Osuna likely to sit on the bench on those days.

Joc Pederson Suffers Right Hand Fracture

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The Rangers were dealt a major injury blow today when DH Joc Pederson was hit by a pitch in this evening’s loss to the White Sox. Pederson initially stayed in the game but was later lifted for a pinch-hitter. Manager Bruce Bochy revealed to reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) that Pederson suffered a fracture in his right hand when he was struck by the pitch. Pederson told reporters, including McFarland, that he expects a recovery timeline of six weeks for the injury.

It’s a blow to a Rangers club that has already struggled to stay healthy this year. Pederson will now join Corey Seager and Evan Carter on the shelf from the club’s lineup, in addition to injuries suffered by reliever Chris Martin and starters Kumar Rocker, Jon Gray, and Cody Bradford. Those injuries have contributed to Texas’s struggles this year, as they’ve posted a lackluster 25-28 record that’s left them three games out of a Wild Card spot and five games out of the AL West. With Josh Smith covering for Seager at shortstop and Sam Haggerty holding down center field in place of Carter, the Rangers will likely be forced to get creative with replacing Pederson.

One option could be first baseman Blaine Crim, who failed to record a hit in a five-game cup of coffee earlier this year but sports a .301/.369/.558 slash line in Triple-A this year. Another could be outfielder Dustin Harris, who has a 104 wRC+ in 45 trips to the plate at the big league level and is the club’s only left-handed hitter already on the 40-man roster at Triple-A. Harris could be a particularly attractive option if the Rangers would like to continuing starting backup catcher Kyle Higashioka at DH against left-handed pitchers, a role which the club is already carrying third catcher Tucker Barnhart in order to accommodate on a more regular basis.

Turning back to Pederson, it must be acknowledged that for however much losing his offensive prowess from the lineup may sting on paper he hasn’t delivered much production in his first season with the organization. Signed to a two-year, $37MM guarantee over the winter, Pederson has hit a paltry .132/.266/.240 (51 wRC+) in 144 plate appearances to this point in the season. That’s hardly production a club will miss from their lineup, but it’s unfortunate timing nonetheless giving that Pederson had just begun to look more like his normal self at the plate: he’s hitting .220/.429/.444 with four extra-base hits and an eye-popping 26.5% walk rate over his last 16 games.

The Rangers can only hope that he’ll be able to pick back up right where he left off when he returns to action later this summer. A six week timetable would leave him poised to return in early July, shortly before the All-Star break. Rough as his start to the 2025 campaign was, it goes without saying that Pederson can be a dynamic addition to virtually any lineup when healthy; while he almost exclusively plays against right-handed pitching, the slugger slashed an excellent .262/.365/.485 with a wRC+ of 135 and 61 homers in 387 games over his last three seasons. That’s the 16th-best wRC+ among all hitters with at least 1000 plate appearances in that span, sandwiched between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jose Ramirez on the leaderboard. If Pederson can offer that sort of production to the Rangers in the second half, it should be easy for fans to forget his first-half struggles and injury woes so long as Texas hasn’t already fallen out of the playoff conversation before he returns.

Rangers Trade Jonathan Ornelas To Braves

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The Rangers announced the trade of infielder Jonathan Ornelas to the Braves for cash considerations. Texas had designated him for assignment earlier this week when they claimed Michael Helman off waivers from Pittsburgh. Atlanta already had an opening on the 40-man roster after yesterday’s DFA of Orlando Arcia. They optioned Ornelas to Triple-A Gwinnett, so no further move is necessary.

Ornelas changes organizations for the first time. Texas drafted him out of high school in the third round in 2018. He has never been a great minor league hitter, but he’s a versatile defender with enough athleticism and arm strength to play on the left side of the infield. Texas added him to the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft after the 2022 season. That followed a career-best .299/.360/.425 showing as a 22-year-old in Double-A.

The right-handed hitter hasn’t matched that production since moving up to Triple-A. He’s a career .247/.348/.333 hitter in more than 1000 plate appearances over three seasons at the top minor league level. That includes a .204/.339/.235 start through 30 games this year. He has appeared in 30 MLB contests over a handful of stints going back to 2023. Ornelas has hit .184 without a home run while striking out 20 times in 54 big league plate appearances.

Atlanta has limited roster flexibility on the position player side. The only hitters on the active roster who have minor league options are Michael Harris II and rookie catcher Drake Baldwin, neither of whom is in danger of getting sent down. Luke Williams projects as the backup infielder now that they’ve moved on from Arcia.

Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relayed yesterday that Eli White will take pregame infield reps to offer more flexibility off the bench. Ornelas, who is in his final option year, can spend the remainder of the season in Gwinnett as an alternative to the out-of-options Williams and White if the Braves decide to make any changes.

Jake Diekman Announces Retirement

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Jake Diekman announced his retirement in a lengthy social media post this evening. The longtime reliever appeared with nine major league teams during a career that spanned parts of 13 seasons. His announcement is worth a full read, as he went on to thank his former organizations, teammates, family, fans, representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council and more.

Now 38, Diekman entered professional baseball as a 20-year-old back in 2007. The Phillies drafted the lanky lefty in the 30th round out of a Kansas junior college. He’d been committed to attend the University of Nebraska the following spring but elected to sign with the Phils. Diekman moved to the bullpen a couple seasons into his minor league career and received his first MLB call in May 2012.

Diekman made 191 appearances over three and a half seasons for the Phils. Philadelphia was rebuilding for most of that run, but he was part of a combined no-hitter in 2014 and tallied a cumulative 3.84 earned run average. The Rangers acquired him alongside Cole Hamels in a massive 2015 deadline deal.

While that was primarily the Hamels trade, Diekman was a significant part of the Texas bullpen for the next few years. He tallied 124 1/3 innings of 3.18 ERA ball over parts of four seasons as a Ranger. He appeared in the postseason in 2015 and ’16, firing six innings of one-run ball in his first October action during the former season.

Diekman was on the move at the 2018 deadline. Texas was headed to a 95-loss season and he was ticketed for free agency, making him an obvious trade candidate. The D-Backs picked him up for the stretch run, though he struggled during his brief stint in the desert. Diekman signed a one-year contract with the Royals during the winter. Kansas City flipped him to the A’s at the 2019 deadline, and he impressed the team enough to re-sign on a two-year deal the following offseason.

After three seasons in Oakland, Diekman firmly moved into journeyman territory for his final few seasons. He played for another four teams between 2022-24, concluding his big league run with 43 appearances for the Mets last year. The Nebraska native returned home on a contract with the independent Lincoln SaltDogs a few weeks ago, but he’s now decided to wrap up his playing days.

Diekman finishes with a 3.91 ERA in a little over 600 big league frames. He recorded 764 strikeouts, fanning almost 29% of opposing hitters throughout his career. He never had pristine command, but he reliably missed bats behind a fastball that got into the 97-98 MPH range at his peak. He recorded 187 holds, a mark topped only by Tony Watson and Adam Ottavino since his 2012 debut, and secured 19 saves in scattered closing opportunities. Baseball Reference calculates his career earnings north of $28MM. MLBTR congratulates Diekman on a strong career and sends our best wishes for his post-playing endeavors.

Rangers Place Chris Martin On Injured List

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The Rangers placed Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 19, with shoulder fatigue. Righty Cole Winn was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in the corresponding move.

Martin was removed from Sunday’s game against the Astros after throwing one pitch. That was the result of shoulder soreness, though it came less than a week after Texas had sent him for imaging after he experienced elbow discomfort. Martin did not end up missing any time with the elbow soreness after testing came back negative. The team has downplayed their concern over the shoulder issue as well, but it’s sensible that they’ll give him a couple weeks after a pair of arm issues in such rapid succession.

This will also serve as a potentially necessary rest opportunity for the veteran righty. Martin has made 22 appearances this season, two off the MLB lead. He’d pitched five times between May 11 and 18 alone, including on three straight days from May 11-13. That’s a lot to ask of any pitcher, especially one who is a couple weeks from his 39th birthday.

It’s also a testament to Martin’s continued effectiveness. He has turned in a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Martin has punched out 23 of 77 opposing hitters (29.9%) while remaining one of the sport’s best control artists. He has only issued one unintentional walk all year. Martin has collected nine holds and one save without blowing a lead. He’s alongside Robert Garcia and Jacob Webb as Bruce Bochy’s most trusted setup arms in front of closer Luke Jackson.

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the moves shortly before the team announcement.

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