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Brock Holt

Brock Holt Granted Release From Braves

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The Braves announced this morning that veteran utilityman Brock Holt requested and was granted his release. He’d been in camp on a minor league deal in hopes of winning a roster spot in Atlanta but will now return to the open market in search of a new opportunity.

It’s common for veteran players to exercise out clauses and/or request their release in this manner late in Spring Training. Manager Brian Snitker tells reporters that Holt had been informed he would not make the team (Twitter link via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), and the club honored his request to explore other options. Veterans Phil Gosselin and Pat Valaika are still vying for a utility spot, Toscano adds.

Holt, 33, spent the 2021 season with the Rangers and appeared in 77 games, batting .209/.281/.298 in 260 trips to the plate. That rough season continued a downturn at the plate that began in 2020, but Holt still isn’t too far removed from a productive 2018-19 stretch in Boston that saw him slash .286/.366/.407 in a larger sample of 662 plate appearances.

A left-handed hitter known for his defensive versatility, Holt’s jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none skill set has found him consistent opportunities at the big league level dating back to 2014. He’s played every position on the diamond with the exception of catcher, including 2 1/3 innings on the mound. Holt’s work in center field is limited to just 75 innings, but beyond that he’s played at least 224 innings in both outfield corners and at all four infield slots.

With rosters expanding to 28 players for the early portion of the season, a versatile veteran with Holt’s overall track record at the plate — he’s a .262/.332/.362 hitter in 2661 MLB plate appearances — ought to have interest from other clubs. For what it’s worth, he went 3-for-9 with a home run, a double and a walk in his limited time with the Braves this spring.

Braves Sign Brock Holt To Minor League Deal

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The Braves have signed veteran utility player Brock Holt to a minor league deal, per Bill Shanks of SportsRadio WXKO. He’s received an invite to big league camp and will compete for a bench role.

Holt, turning 34 in June, has played in each of the last ten MLB seasons, primarily with the Red Sox, but also spending some time with the Pirates, Brewers, Nationals and Rangers. In 753 games, he’s made 2,661 plate appearances. He’s never been a huge power threat with the bat, only hitting 25 home runs in that time. However, he’s still occasionally been competent at the plate, with a career slash line of .262/.332/.362, wRC+ of 89, 19.1% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate. Last year, with the Rangers, he had a bit of a swoon, hitting just .209/.281/.298 for a wRC+ of 62.

Defensively, Holt brings great versatility to the table, having some spent some time at every position except catcher, even logging 2 1/3 innings of mop-up duty on the mound. However, he’s spent most of his career innings at second base, third base and left field.

The Braves already have Orlando Arcia as a bench/utility option on the 40-man roster. They also added Phil Gosselin and Pat Valaika into the mix this week, with Holt likely competing against that bunch for a roster spot and playing time.

Rangers Place Three On Covid-19 List

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The Rangers have placed infielder Brock Holt and right-handers Drew Anderson and Mike Foltynewicz on the Covid-19-related injured list, per a club announcement. Lefty Wes Benjamin and first baseman Curtis Terry are up from the taxi squad to fill spots on the active roster, but the Rangers will play today’s game with a 25-man active roster. Texas has also scratched catcher Jonah Heim due to Covid protocols and will start Jose Trevino behind the dish instead, per an additional announcement. Heim has not yet been placed on the Covid-related injured list.

Today’s placements come just days after Charlie Culberson was placed on the Covid IL. They’ll leave the Rangers with a rather short-handed bench and likely result in some additional roster machinations in the days to come. However, while the Rangers are down a pair of third basemen — Holt and Culberson — Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that a promotion of top third base prospect Josh Jung is “not in the plans” for the team. Yonny Hernandez and Andy Ibanez will split time at the hot corner while Holt and Culberson are away from the team.

The Rangers now have four open spots on the 40-man roster and will be able to promote players from Triple-A — even those not on the 40-man roster — as replacements without needing to subsequently pass them through waivers in order to return them to Round Rock once Holt, Anderson, Foltynewicz and Culberson make their returns.

Rangers Place Brock Holt On 10-Day IL, Select Andy Ibanez

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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.

Rangers Activate Willie Calhoun, Brock Holt

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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.

Brock Holt To Make Rangers’ Opening Day Roster

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The Rangers have informed utilityman Brock Holt he’ll break camp with the team, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report. He has been in camp as a non-roster invitee, so the club will need to officially select his contract to the 40-man roster. Holt had the ability to opt out of that deal if not added to the roster this week, Grant notes. Texas has an open 40-man spot after passing right-hander Joe Gatto through outright waivers yesterday.

Holt, 32, was a valuable utility piece for the Red Sox between 2013-19, even earning a trip to the All-Star game in 2015. He stumbled to a miserable .211/.283/.274 line between the Brewers and Nationals in 2020, though, forcing him to settle for a non-roster deal this winter. Between a productive few weeks in Spring Training and the Rangers’ uncertain third base situation (where Rougned Odor appears the favorite for playing time), Holt will get another opportunity in Arlington. By making the club, he’ll lock in a $1.75MM base salary.

Among the others who’ll be on the season-opening roster (via Grant and Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram): Dane Dunning, Taylor Hearn, Wes Benjamin and Jonah Heim. None of that group is particularly surprising. Hearn and Benjamin played important roles in last year’s bullpen, while Dunning and Heim were acquired in offseason trades. All four are already on Texas’ 40-man roster.

Fellow offseason acquisition Khris Davis won’t be ready for the start of the season. He suffered a Grade 2 strain of his left quadriceps and will be out three to four weeks, per Wilson. Presumably, he’ll start the year on the 10-day injured list.

Rangers Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Rangers have signed veteran catcher John Hicks to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, per a club announcement. Outfielder Adolis Garcia, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, will also be invited to Major League camp after going unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the Rangers. Texas also confirmed its previously reported minor league deals with Korean lefty Hyeon-jong Yang and with infielder Brock Holt.

Hicks, 31, didn’t play in the big leagues last year, instead spending the 2020 season at the Diamondbacks’ alternate training site. He’s appeared in parts of five big league seasons between the Mariners and Tigers, logging a combined .235/.280/.391 batting line with 28 homers and 15 doubles in 871 plate appearances.

He’s never graded out as a particularly strong framer, but Hicks has an above-average 31 percent caught-stealing rate at the MLB level and will add some depth to a Rangers club that is presently lacking in that department. Jose Trevino currently projects as the starter, with Jonah Heim and non-roster veteran Drew Butera serving as backup candidates. Top prospect Sam Huff got his feet wet in the big leagues last year, but he skipped both Double-A and Triple-A, so he’s likely in line for additional minor league seasoning.

Yang, as noted in the linked post above, is a former KBO MVP who has long had his sights set on pitching in the Majors. His decision to do so this winter wasn’t particularly well-timed, given not only the economic climate in MLB but also the fact that he’s coming off one of the rougher seasons of a generally strong career in South Korea. Still, he’s made 29 starts or more in each of the past eight seasons and prior to 2020 carried a 3.35 ERA over a seven-year stretch. If nothing else, the fact that he threw 172 1/3 innings last year — nearly 100 more than any MLB pitcher — ought to be of benefit while the Rangers look to monitor the workloads of the rest of their staff.

Rangers, Brock Holt Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers are in agreement on a minor league contract with free-agent infielder/outfielder Brock Holt, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). The contract would pay the Lagardere Sports client $1.75MM if he makes the roster. He’ll be in Major League Spring Training.

Holt, 32, had a strong run with the 2018-19 with the Red Sox, hitting at a combined .286/.366/.407 while playing above-average defense at each of second base, third base and the outfield corners. Holt, who also has time at shortstop, still found something of a tepid market last winter and settled for a one-year deal with the Brewers. Things didn’t pan out in Milwaukee, however, as Holt hit just .100/.222/.100 before being cut loose. He bounced back after latching on with the Nationals, however, hitting at a .262/.314/.354 clip in 70 trips to the plate.

With the Rangers, Holt joins fellow non-roster invitee Charlie Culberson as a veteran bench option for manager Chris Woodward. With Isiah Kiner-Falefa now ticketed for everyday work at shortstop and Nick Solak likely getting the lion’s share of time at second base, Holt and Culberson will battle Rougned Odor for playing time at the hot corner as the Rangers organization awaits the eventual arrival of top prospect and former first-rounder Josh Jung.

Nationals Sign Brock Holt

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The Nationals have agreed to terms with free-agent infielder Brock Holt, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Holt had been designated and released by the Brewers earlier this week. The Nats will have to make a corresponding move to clear a spot for Holt on the roster.

Holt, formerly of the Red Sox, will join the Nats as an option to play virtually anywhere on the diamond. He’s in line to serve as depth primarily at third base and in the corner outfield.

As MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted on Thursday when Holt was released, he can be signed for a prorated version of the league minimum salary, which comes out to a hair under $100K. That made him a viable target for interested teams, despite an abysmal start to the season with Milwaukee.

After signing a one-year deal with the Brewers in the winter, Holt’s Milwaukee tenure was short-lived following a 3-for-30 stretch in his first 16 games.

Still, the 32-year-old Holt can point to a more passable .270/.340/.374 batting line during his seven years in Boston. As a depth option, he’ll offer another left-handed bat, a welcome balance to the right-handed Howie Kendrick and Josh Harrison.

Brewers Release Brock Holt

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The Brewers have released utilityman Brock Holt, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. He’d been designated for assignment over the weekend.

Holt, 32, established himself as a versatile jack of all trades in parts of seven seasons with the Red Sox — particularly in the two-year lead up to his first foray into free agency. In 662 plate appearances from 2018-19, Holt posted a combined .286/.366/.407 batting line with 10 homers, 32 doubles, four triples and eight steals. Along the way, he saw time at all four infield positions and in both outfield corners, with defensive metrics casting an especially favorable light on his work at second base — his primary position in Boston.

Despite a strong two-year platform, however, Holt was met with a rather tepid market in free agency. He lingered in limbo until signing a late, one-year deal with Milwaukee that promised him $3.25MM in the form of a $2.5MM salary and a $750K buyout on a $5MM option for the 2021 season.

Holt’s time in Milwaukee could scarcely have gone worse. He appeared in 16 games and took 36 plate appearances with only a .100/.222/.100 batting line to show for it (3-for-30 with four walks, a sacrifice and one hit-by-pitch). He was deployed only in the outfield corners and at third base during his brief stint as a Brewer.

Assuming he’s already cleared release waivers, Holt will now be a free agent who is eligible to sign with any club for the prorated league minimum — about $97K between now and season’s end. That sum would be subtracted from the $430K the Brewers still owe him (in addition to the aforementioned option buyout). While the Brewers clearly didn’t find a trade partner in the early stages of Holt’s DFA limbo period, he could certainly draw interest as a bench piece on a contending club now that he can be had for a relatively minimal sum.

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