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Nabil Crismatt

Nabil Crismatt To Undergo UCL Surgery

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The Rangers revealed yesterday that right-hander Nabil Crismatt will undergo an elbow procedure, but further specifics weren’t immediately clear. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has since written that Crismatt, who’s in camp with Texas as a non-roster invitee, suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament during his first bullpen session of camp. Whether he undergoes a full reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) or an internal brace procedure to repair/strengthen his current ligament, he’ll miss the entire season.

Crismatt, 31, signed on for a second stint with the Rangers this offseason. He pitched for their Triple-A club in 2024 but didn’t receive a call to the majors. The journeyman right-hander has pitched for four teams across the past six seasons, logging a combined 3.71 ERA in 211 big league innings. He’s fanned 20.6% of his opponents against a 7% walk rate and kept 49.2% of batted balls against him on the ground.

Crismatt spent the 2025 season with the D-backs and Phillies organizations, tossing 34 MLB frames for Arizona and matching his 3.71 career earned run average on the dot. He’s never been a hard thrower, sitting 89.5 mph on his sinker and 90 mph on his four-seamer throughout his big league career. His blend of grounders, above-average command and a knack for inducing weak contact have helped him to succeed more often than not in the majors.

Since he’s on a non-roster deal, Crismatt won’t be placed on the injured list and won’t accrue big league service. It’s a tough blow for the right-hander, who also logged 102 1/3 innings of 3.96 ERA ball in Triple-A last year. In addition to hoping to land a spot on the Rangers’ roster, he’d been slated to pitch for his native Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. That obviously won’t happen. Depending on which variety of UCL procedure he undergoes, Crismatt will likely be ready next spring (internal brace) or next April/May (Tommy John surgery).

Rangers Top Prospect Sebastian Walcott To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott, one of the most touted prospects in the entire sport, could miss the entire 2026 season due to an elbow injury that will require surgery, president of baseball operations Chris Young announced to the team’s beat this morning (link via Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports). Walcott could potentially get at-bats late in the season, and if he’s healthy, he’ll be a prime candidate to make up some lost reps in the Arizona Fall League and/or in winter ball. Young added that righty Nabil Crismatt, who’s in camp as a non-roster invitee, is also headed for elbow surgery (via Wilson).

Walcott appeared in last year’s Arizona Fall League, but his time there was cut short by elbow inflammation. Surgery was not recommended at the time. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Walcott spent the offseason rehabbing and felt strong entering camp, but he recently experienced renewed discomfort when throwing.

A consultation with renowned surgeon Dr. Keith Meister revealed “structural changes.” Walcott will have surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, it seems, but it has not yet been determined whether he’ll require a full Tommy John procedure (i.e. ligament reconstruction) or an internal brace procedure to repair/strengthen the existing ligament. The latter comes with a shorter timetable for recovery.

It’s a brutal blow to the Rangers and their farm. Walcott is only 19 years old (20 next month) but already appeared on the cusp of MLB readiness. The Bahamian-born shortstop spent the 2025 campaign in Double-A and hit .255/.355/.386 (110 wRC+) despite being the youngest player in the league.

In 552 plate appearances, Walcott hit 13 home runs, 19 doubles and two triples. He also went 32-for-42 in stolen base attempts, walked at a huge 12.7% clip and only struck out in 19.6% of his plate appearances. That’d be a productive season even for a more physically developed 23- or 24-year-old, but Walcott enjoyed that success in spite of being five years younger than the average Texas League player.

Virtually every prospect list one can find will include Walcott within its top 20. He’s currently No. 16 at Baseball America, 16th on Keith Law’s list at The Athletic,  seventh at MLB.com, and all the way up to fifth on Kiley McDaniel’s list at ESPN. Scouting reports laud him for possessing enormous, plus-plus raw power with good plate discipline, a feel to hit, plus speed and a plus arm. There’s some concern that he’ll outgrow shortstop — he’s already listed at 6’4″ and 190 pounds before turning 20 — but he has plenty of bat to stick at third base or in the outfield if such a shift is eventually needed.

It’s plausible that a healthy Walcott, with a big enough start to his season, could have emerged as an option in the majors for Texas. He’s not going to displace Corey Seager at shortstop, but third base, second base and (to a lesser extent) the outfield are all less settled in Arlington. All of that will be put on hold for the time being now, and Walcott’s debut will surely be pushed back into at least the 2027 season, as he’ll need to ease back into things as he rehabs from this health setback.

On the plus side, Walcott’s meteoric rise through the system means that youth is still very much on his side. He could miss the entire 2026 season, play well in the AFL and winter ball, open next season back at Double-A and still push to make his MLB debut during his age-21 season. The injury is a clear development setback, but for a player who has accomplished so much at such a young age, the outlook remains quite bright.

As for Crismatt, the upcoming elbow procedure scuttles any hope of cracking the big league roster. It’s not yet clear what type of procedure he’ll require. He’d been slated to pitch for his native Colombia in the World Baseball Classic, but those plans are obviously dashed as well.

The 31-year-old Crismatt spent part of the 2024 season with the Rangers’ Triple-A club and returned on a minor league deal this winter. He pitched in the majors with the D-backs last year and recorded a 3.71 ERA, 16.3% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate in 34 innings. Crismatt has suited up for four clubs across parts of six MLB seasons and carries a lifetime 3.71 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in 211 innings — most of them coming in relief.

Searching For A Fifth Starter In Texas

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The Rangers solidified the top of their rotation when they landed left-hander MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Nationals. Gore, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi will form what should be a dominant trio, as long as everyone stays healthy. Former top prospect Jack Leiter delivered a solid campaign in his first full-time look at the big league level, likely earning him the No. 4 spot. After that, it gets murky.

Texas’ starting pitchers led the league with a 3.41 ERA last season, but the club will have to replace a lot of reliable innings in 2026. Veteran Patrick Corbin matched deGrom for the most starts on the team at 30. He’s now a free agent. Tyler Mahle and trade deadline acquisition Merrill Kelly both departed in free agency.

Here’s a look at the remaining mix of options to round out the rotation.

Kumar Rocker

By pedigree, Rocker would be the favorite for the fifth starter job. The 26-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2022 draft. Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of FanGraphs had Rocker behind only Sebastian Walcott among Rangers prospects midway through last season. That was even after the highly-touted righty was destroyed for 18 earned runs in 20 innings to open the year. He landed on the IL with a shoulder issue in late April.

Rocker made it back to the big leagues for nine starts across June and July. He posted a 4.67 ERA, though a 4.14 xFIP and a 4.34 SIERA suggest he was a bit better than that mark. Rocker found himself back in Triple-A by August. He’s yet to impress for an extended stretch at the highest level, but will likely get the chance to stick in the rotation this spring.

Jacob Latz

Texas used Latz in a Swiss Army Knife role last year, and he pitched well whenever called upon. The 29-year-old lefty made eight starts and 25 relief appearances this past season. Latz’s versatile gig included a quality start and a three-inning save in the span of a week. He compiled a 2.84 ERA in 85 2/3 innings. It came with an xERA and a SIERA above 4.00, so expectations should be tempered, but there might be enough here for Latz to be a full-fledged starter.

Latz relied on a three-pitch mix that featured a fastball, changeup, and slider. He also mixed in a curveball to right-handed hitters. Latz used each of his three main pitches more than 20% of the time, so the repertoire is deeper than that of a typical reliever. The fastball was dominant, holding hitters to a .193 batting average while recording a +11 Run Value. The changeup got whiffs at a more than 40% clip. Latz will have a role on this team one way or another.

Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber, Nabil Crismatt

The Rangers brought in this group of veterans on minor league deals. They’ll serve as depth pieces if injuries pop up. One of them could find their way into the rotation if Rocker flops in the spring and the club prefers Latz out of the bullpen.

Quantrill spent 2025 with the Marlins and Braves, posting an ERA over 6.00 across 26 starts. He finished last season in the Rangers’ minor league system. Gomber was cut by the Rockies in August after scuffling through a dozen starts. He latched on with the Cubs on a minor league pact, but didn’t make it to the big-league club. Crismatt actually pitched decently last year, putting together a 2.70 ERA in his first six games with the Diamondbacks. He was crushed out of the bullpen in his final outing of the year, which sullies the final line.

Bring back Corbin 

The veteran lefty revived his career in his lone season as a Ranger. After four brutal years to close his time in Washington, Corbin was one of the brightest surprises in the first half of 2025. He notched an ERA under 4.00 through July with the underlying metrics to back it up. Corbin’s performance fell off in the final two months of the season, but he still put up a respectable overall line. Whatever the Rangers did with him, it seemed to work, and he could likely be brought back for a minimal commitment.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Rangers Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minors Contract

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league deal, El Extrabase’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes reports.  Crismatt’s contract includes an invitation to the Rangers’ big league Spring Training camp.

It’s a late birthday gift for Crismatt, who turned 31 on Christmas Day.  This is Crismatt’s second stint in the Texas organization, as he spent a month of the 2024 season pitching with Triple-A Round Rock before being released from that minor league deal without any time in the bigs.  The brief run in Round Rock was one of many stops Crismatt has made on a variety of minors contracts over the last three seasons, as he is out of minor league options.

After amassing 20 MLB innings with the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers over the 2023-24 seasons, the righty got a bit more of a run in the Show by tossing 34 innings for the D’Backs in 2025.  Brought up to the active roster in mid-August, Crismatt posted a 3.71 ERA, 5.9% walk rate, and 16.3% strikeout rate during this return to the D’Backs.

While not standout numbers, Crismatt’s performance bore some resemblance to his prime years as a member of the Padres relief corps.  Crismatt delivered a 3.39 ERA, 21.6% strikeout rate, and 7.3% walk rate over 148 2/3 innings out of San Diego’s pen in 2021-22, but a decline in his performance in 2023 led the Padres to part ways, and began Crismatt’s nomadic trip around the league.

The bullpen was an underrated strong point for Texas in 2025, yet several of the relievers (i.e. Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, Phil Maton) who performed so well last year have already left the team in free agency.  This has left the Rangers working to restock the relief cupboard with a new set of pitchers on short-term contracts.  Chris Martin, Alexis Diaz, and Tyler Alexander have all signed guaranteed deals, and Crismatt now joins the list of pitchers in camp as non-roster invites.  Crismatt figures to have a good opportunity at breaking camp with the team, but his out-of-options status could leave him prone to again being the odd man out of a roster crunch.

10 Players Elect Free Agency

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Now that the season is over, we’ll start seeing several players choose to become minor league free agents.  Major League free agents (i.e. players with six-plus years of big league service time) will hit the open market five days after the end of the World Series, but eligible minor leaguers can already start electing free agency.

To qualify, these players must have been all outrighted off their team’s 40-man rosters during the 2025 season without being added back.  These players also must have multiple career outrights on their resume, and/or at least three years of Major League service time.

We’ll offer periodic updates over the coming weeks about many other players hitting the market in this fashion.  These free agent decisions are all listed on the official MLB.com or MILB.com transactions pages, for further reference.

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Pitchers

Diamondbacks Designate Nabil Crismatt For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Bryce Jarvis has been recalled from Triple-A Reno. Fellow righty Nabil Crismatt has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Crismatt, 30, was added to Arizona’s roster about six weeks ago. The Snakes have lost a large number of pitchers to the injured list this year and they also traded a couple of arms prior to the trade deadline. Crismatt came aboard and gave the club steady production. He made eight appearances, five of them starts, logging 34 innings in total. He allowed 3.71 earned runs per nine. His 16.3% strikeout rate was subpar but he limited walks to a 6.3% clip and got grounders on 44.3% of balls in play.

Him losing his roster spot is probably more about the circumstances than his performance. Crismatt tossed three innings in yesterday’s 8-0 loss to the Dodgers, tossing 72 pitches in the process. The Snakes are still clinging to faint hopes of a miracle playoff berth, currently two games back of the Mets, who hold the final Wild Card spot. The Reds are in between, one game back of the Mets and one ahead of the Diamondbacks.

Crismatt probably wasn’t going to be available for the final three games of the season, so he’s been bumped off the roster for a fresh arm. He is out of options and therefore had to be removed from the 40-man roster entirely.

For his career, Crismatt now has 211 innings pitched across six separate seasons. In that time, he has a 3.71 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 49.2% ground ball rate. He will be on the waiver wire in the coming days but should clear at this late stage of the season. He is technically controllable for three more seasons via arbitration but was settling for minor league deals earlier this year until Arizona brought him up.

If he does pass through waivers unclaimed, he will have the right to elect free agency. If the Diamondbacks manage to make it to the playoffs, perhaps he will accept an outright assignment and wait to see if his arm is needed in October. If they don’t make it, he could get a bit of a headstart on his offseason.

Photo courtesy of Rob Schumacher, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Select Nabil Crismatt

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The Diamondbacks announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Nabil Crismatt. In a corresponding move, right-hander Casey Kelly was optioned to Triple-A. Arizona had a 40-man roster already vacancy for Crismatt to fill, and their roster now stands at 40.

Crismatt, 30, was signed by the Mets out of Colombia and made his professional debut back in 2012. He made his big league debut as a Cardinal in 2020, when he pitched to a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work. Despite that solid first showing, he was outrighted off the club’s roster following the 2020 season. That led him to sign a minor league contract with the Padres, for whom he would have plenty of success over the next two seasons. The righty posted a 3.39 ERA with a 3.76 FIP over 148 2/3 innings of work from 2021-22 while striking out 21.6% of his opponents.

It was a solid showing, but since then he’s been limited to just 13 games in the majors between the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. He struggled in those games, with a 6.30 ERA and 5.22 FIP in 20 innings of work. He’s mostly been relegated to the minors since 2023 and spent most of last year in the Rangers organization before signing with the Phillies on a minor league deal this past offseason. Philadelphia stretched Crismatt out to start at Triple-A, and he posted a decent 4.04 ERA in 100 1/3 innings of work for the club. He opted out of his minor league deal with the Phillies once, but re-signed after not finding a more lucrative deal elsewhere.

He was released earlier this month by the Phillies, however, and found himself scooped up by Arizona shortly thereafter. He made one scoreless, two-inning appearance with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate in Reno and is now slated to join the club’s roster, where he can help round out the pitching staff after the club dealt away a number of pieces at last month’s trade deadline. Crismatt figures to serve as a multi-inning reliever for the Diamondbacks going forward, and a strong showing down the stretch could help him find a big league role for the 2026 season if he can prove to have the same level of effectiveness he flashed with the Padres a few years ago.

Diamondbacks Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minor League Deal

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The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league deal, per an announcement from the Triple-A Reno Aces. Crismatt was previously with the Phillies on a minor league deal but was released a few days ago, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com.

Crismatt, 30, has pitched 177 major league innings in his career with a 3.71 earned run average. His 21.5% strikeout rate is a bit south of average but his 7.2% walk rate and 50.3% ground ball rate are both solid figures. That includes a brief stint with the Diamondbacks in 2023, when he tossed two scoreless innings in his lone appearance as a Snake.

This year, he’s been stuck in the minors with the Phillies. He’s been working as a starter in Triple-A, making 19 starts with a 4.04 ERA, 16.2% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate.

The Diamondbacks have been hemorrhaging pitching this year. They have lost Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez, Tommy Henry and Blake Walston to Tommy John surgeries. Additionally, Cristian Mena, Christian Montes De Oca, Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel are on the injured list due to other reasons. Those injuries played a notable role in knocking the Diamondbacks out of contention, which led them to trading Merrill Kelly and Shelby Miller ahead of the deadline.

Given all of those fallen soldiers, the club may have some innings available down the stretch. Crismatt has worked both as a starter and a reliever in his career. He’ll give the Diamondbacks a depth arm for now but could perhaps be useful for the big league club as they play out the string on the season.

Photo courtesy of Orlando Ramirez, Imagn Images

Phillies Re-Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have re-signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt, according to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The veteran righty opted out of a separate minor league pact with the Phillies a few days ago.

Crismatt, 30, has been a reliever for much of his minor league career but the Phils have been utilizing him as a starter this year. He made 15 Triple-A starts before opting out of his deal last week, logging 80 1/3 innings with a 3.81 earned run average. He only struck out 16.3% of batters faced but limited walks to a 5.1% clip. His 39.2% ground ball rate was close to par.

Despite those generally solid results, the Phils haven’t needed him at the big league level. Their rotation is one of the best in the big leagues. Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez have been there all year. Ranger Suárez spent about the first month of the season on the injured list but has been healthy for over two months now. Aaron Nola has been on the IL for a while but Taijuan Walker and Mick Abel have gotten the chances to take that spot.

Crismatt decided to see what other opportunities were available to him but has circled back to the Phils. On the one hand, he gets the consistency of staying with the club he’s been with all year, but his path to the big leagues remains blocked. Even if another injury or two develops, the Phils could look to make deadline acquisitions and they also have prospect Andrew Painter making Triple-A starts. Coming up and taking a relief role is perhaps possible but the Phils seems likely to bolster the relief corps at the deadline.

Regardless, Crismatt will presumably do his best for the IronPigs and see what happens. He has thrown 177 big league innings over the previous five seasons with a 3.71 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 50.3% ground ball rate.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Nabil Crismatt Opts Out Of Phillies Deal

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Right-hander Nabil Crismatt triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal with the Phillies and has been granted his release, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’s now a free agent who can sign with any club.

Crismatt, 30, has pitched in parts of five major league seasons between the Padres, Cardinals, D-backs and Dodgers. He’s worked almost exclusively as a reliever, logging a 3.71 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout rate, a 7.2% walk rate and a 50.3% ground-ball rate in 177 big league innings.

It’s a nice track record out of the ’pen, but the Phillies opted to stretch Crismatt out and deploy him out of the rotation in Triple-A. He’s spent about half his time in parts of seven Triple-A seasons in that role. Crismatt has pitched well in 15 starts with the Phillies’ top affiliate in Lehigh Valley, recording a 3.81 ERA in 80 1/3 innings. His 16.3% strikeout rate and 88.1 mph average fastball are well below average, but he’s only allowed a 5.1% walk rate.

Crismatt doesn’t have a dominant major league track record, but he’s pitched well in low-leverage settings and regularly avoided hard contact. He’s been particularly sharp of late in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.12 ERA and walking only two batters over his past 26 innings. Teams in search of depth in the rotation or some length in the bullpen could take a low-cost look at the well-traveled righty.

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