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Rangers Place Corey Seager On Injured List

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The Rangers announced Tuesday that they’ve placed shortstop Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list. The move is retroactive to May 11. Seager is again dealing with a right hamstring strain — the same injury that sent him to the IL from April 23 to May 3. Catcher Kyle Higashioka has been reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. He’d missed the previous 12 days with an intercostal strain.

It’s surely a frustrating situation for Seager and the Rangers. As mentioned, he only just returned from the IL barely a week ago, but it seems he wasn’t 100% healthy. He only played once in the past week and the club has now decided to put him back on the shelf.

Since the move is retroactive, he could potentially return in just over a week. Regardless, the Rangers will be without one of their better bats for a while. The club’s offense has scuffled enough this year to force various changes, including a coaching staff shake-up. Seager has not been a part of the problem when in the lineup. He has a .300/.346/.520 line and 143 wRC+ for the year. He’s one of just three players on the team with at least 100 plate appearances and a wRC+ above 113, with Wyatt Langford and Josh Smith being the others.

Despite that, the club has managed to stay afloat in the American League playoff race, currently sporting a 21-21 record. They will now have to try to keep things rolling without one of their best players.

The last time Seager was on the IL, Smith took over as the regular shortstop, though Smith is himself banged up. He missed Monday’s game due to back soreness and is out again today, with Ezequiel Durán covering short for those two games. Sam Haggerty might be the next line of defense at the position while Smith is out.

Assuming Smith feels better in a day or two, he would jump back in there. As mentioned, he is one of the Rangers having a great year at the plate, currently sporting a .316/.395/.474 line and 149 wRC+. Durán, on the other hand, is hitting .130/.160/.174.

Higashioka’s reinstatement will give the Rangers three catchers. When Higashioka’s injury popped up a few weeks ago, Tucker Barnhart was selected to the roster to serve as Jonah Heim’s backup. Heim is catching tonight with Higashioka in the designated hitter spot. Joc Pederson is often the DH but he doesn’t start against lefties, so perhaps Higashioka will take the small side of a platoon with him at times. The Rangers are facing southpaw Kyle Freeland and the Rockies tonight.

Teams are sometimes reluctant to use a catcher in the DH spot, as an injury to the player behind the plate would then force them to move the DH to the catcher position. Moving a DH into any defensive spot means a team forfeits its DH and puts the pitcher into the lineup. Having a third catcher on hand gives the club a chance to avoid that scenario.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Rangers Select Sam Haggerty

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The Rangers have selected outfielder Sam Haggerty’s contract from Triple-A Round Rock, the team announced. In a corresponding move, fellow outfielder Dustin Harris has been optioned to Triple-A. The Rangers had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary.

Following five seasons with the Mariners, Haggerty moved on to a new AL West club after Seattle non-tendered him this offseason. He was a productive bat for the M’s from 2022-23, producing a .727 OPS and a 113 wRC+ in 309 PA, but he missed most of 2024 after tearing his Achilles tendon. The Rangers added him on a minor league deal in February. He failed to win a job out of spring training and packed his bags for Round Rock to begin the year.

Harris had been with the big league club since Wyatt Langford went on the IL in early April. He hit well enough over his first handful of games to stick around when Langford returned. However, he went 1-for-18 over his last 20 plate appearances, with a single, two walks, and six strikeouts. Meanwhile, Haggerty has been swinging a hot bat at Triple-A. Over the past three weeks, he hit .347 with an .879 OPS and a 129 wRC+. Furthermore, as a switch-hitter with MLB reps at all three bases and all three outfield spots, he offers the Rangers more versatility and experience. It’s only been a few years since Harris was widely considered a top-10 prospect in the Rangers organization. While his prospect sheen has faded, he is still just 25, and some more time at Triple-A could surely do him some good. Haggerty, on the other hand, has little to learn or prove in the minors. He’ll turn 31 later this month and has played in parts of six big league seasons.

Although he bats from both sides of the plate, Haggerty has much more impressive numbers in 216 career PA against left-handed pitchers than he does in his 260 career PA against righties. He has walked more and struck out less against southpaws, and he’s hit seven of his nine career home runs as a righty batter. The Rangers currently rank 21st in MLB with a .622 OPS and a 79 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, due in large part to the struggles of hitters like Corey Seager and Adolis García. Haggerty is no solution to that problem, but the Rangers will hope he can offer a bit of help off the bench. A fast runner with 33 career steals in 36 attempts, Haggerty can also help the Rangers on the basepaths; they currently rank 14th in stolen bases and 13th in FanGraphs baserunning value.

MLBTR Podcast: Replacing Triston Casas, A Shakeup In Texas, And The Blue Jays’ Rotation

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What does the trade deadline look like for the Orioles if they’re out of contention? (37:10)
  • Can the Tigers extend Tarik Skubal and what does his contract look like? (45:05)
  • Who are some fun under-the-radar contributors this year? (51:05)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Mariners Claim Leody Taveras

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May 7: The M’s announced today that Taveras has reported to the team with Thomas optioned to Triple-A as the corresponding move.

May 6: The Mariners have claimed outfielder Leody Taveras from the Rangers, according to announcements from both clubs. The Rangers recalled outfielder Evan Carter to take his spot on the roster, a move that was previously reported. Right-hander Luis F. Castillo, not to be confused with Luis Castillo, has been designated for assignment by the M’s to open a 40-man spot for the claim. An active roster spot will need to be opened whenever Taveras reports to the M’s.

Taveras, 26, will join a new organization for the first time. The Rangers signed him as an international amateur back in 2015, giving him a notable bonus of $2.1MM. He went on to become the club’s top prospect and one of the top 100 in the league for a few years. As a major leaguer, he has been useful but not quite a star. His speed and defense have allowed him to make notable contributions for the Rangers, though his offense has been less consistent.

When he first arrived in the majors, he struck out quite a bit, but he was still in his early 20s at that time. In 2023, he managed to get the punchouts down to a manageable 21.1% rate. He still didn’t walk much, just a 6.3% rate, but he put the ball over the fence 14 times. That all led to a .266/.312/.421 line and a 100 wRC+, indicating he was exactly league average at the plate.

Given his other talents, average offense was quite acceptable. He also stole 14 bases and got strong marks for his outfield defense. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 2.4 wins above replacement on the year as he helped the Rangers charge to their first ever championship.

He fell of a bit last year. His walk rate actually jumped to 7.9% and his strikeout rate essentially held steady, bumping ever so slightly to 21.2%. His home run total also didn’t change much, dropping to 12, but with 25 fewer plate appearances. His batting average on balls in play dropped to .272, after being at .318 the year before. He finished the 2024 season with a .229/.289/.352 line and 82 wRC+. Still, with his 23 steals and his glovework, he produced 1.1 fWAR.

Here in 2025, his offense has dropped further. Through 82 plate appearances, he has a 2.4% walk rate, 28% strikeout rate, .241/.259/.342 line and 68 wRC+. That’s been part of a larger constellation of struggles in Texas, as guys like Marcus Semien and Joc Pederson are also struggling badly. Jake Burger’s slump was steep enough to get optioned to the minors while Taveras was placed on waivers. The club also fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and hired Bret Boone as a hitting coach in an attempt to kickstart the offense.

For the Mariners, it’s a buy-low move, with some echoes of their Víctor Robles pickup. Robles was also a notable prospect with the Nationals who had struggled to click in the majors. The M’s sntached him up last year after the Nats released him. Robles then performed well with Seattle, enough that they signed him to a small extension last year, just a couple of months after bringing him aboard.

Robles has unfortunately been sidelined by a dislocated left shoulder and is probably still a couple of months away from returning. Luke Raley replaced him in right field but he recently hit the IL himself due to an oblique strain. Recently, they’ve been playing guys like Rhylan Thomas and Miles Mastrobuoni out there, which is less than ideal. Thomas has just ten major league plate appearances so far and hasn’t done much with them. Mastrobuoni is a light-hitting utility guy. Dylan Moore was reinstated from the injured list today but he could be needed on the infield, with Ben Williamson producing subpar offense from third base in his first 70 big league plate appearances.

Presumably, Taveras will be in the mix to help out in right. He has only ever played center field in his major league career, though the M’s have Julio Rodríguez there every day. Taveras has played the corners in the minors and most center fielders can move to left or right without issue. Some platoon matchups in the lineup are possible. Taveras is a switch-hitter with better numbers as a lefty. Williamson and Moore are both right-handed, so perhaps they can take third and right field when tough lefties are on the mound.

Though the Mariners are “buying low” in the sense that Taveras has been performing poorly of late and was readily available on the wire, there is a notable cost here. Taveras qualified for arbitration ahead of the 2024 season as a Super Two guy and earned $2.55MM last year. In January, he and the Rangers avoided arbitration for this year, agreeing to a $4.75MM salary. That leaves about $3.7MM left to be paid out, which the M’s are taking on by making this claim.

That’s a fairly small amount in the baseball world, where many guys are making eight-figure salaries annually, but it’s not nothing for the Mariners. They reportedly had about $15MM to spend this winter. They ended up giving out less than that, bringing back Jorge Polanco and signing Donovan Solano for a combined $11.25MM. Perhaps not coincidentally, adding Taveras and his remaining salary leads to a sum pretty close to $15MM.

Maybe that will give the club a bit less wiggle room to add at the deadline or perhaps ownership will greenlight further spending if they keep playing well. Time will tell on that. But if the bet on Taveras pays off in Robles-like fashion, there could be benefits beyond this season. He is still controllable via arbitration for another two years after this one. He will have to perform better over the rest of the season in order to be tendered a contract but that’s exactly what the Mariners are hoping for.

If Taveras is able to get back on track, the Rangers might end up kicking themselves, especially since there’s a chance he’ll be thriving with a division rival for the next few years. But there’s no guarantee of that happening and they’re probably happy about the cost savings in the short term. It was reported in the winter that Texas wanted to get under the tax line in 2025 and that plan was confirmed by owner Ray Davis. They came into the season a few million under the line, according to public estimates, though with a clear chance of going over. They have a number of players with sizable contract bonuses and those would bump up the club’s tax number if triggered, something that MLBTR did a deep dive on last month.

With the M’s claiming Taveras and the rest of this year’s salary, that drops the Rangers further away from the $241MM base threshold of the tax. As of a few weeks ago, RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts had the Rangers’ CBT number at $236.4MM and $237.8MM respectively but those estimates are now listed at $234.1MM and $235.5MM.

Castillo, 30, was added to the roster in April. George Kirby started the season on the injured list and Emerson Hancock got lit up in his first start of the year. Castillo made a couple of spot starts before being optioned to the minors. Hancock has since come back up to retake a rotation spot with better results. Logan Gilbert is now on the IL as well, prompting a Logan Evans promotion, but Kirby is on a rehab assignment and should be able to rejoin the club soon.

The M’s are evidently willing to sacrifice a bit of rotation depth, so Castillo goes into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade possibilities would have to be explored in the next five days. Castillo’s MLB track record is pretty small but he’s been decent in the minors and in Japan. From 2022 to 2025, he has a 2.44 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 59 minor league innings. He also pitched 143 1/3 NPB innings over 2023 and 2024 with a 3.01 ERA. Since he’s still optionable, he may have appeal for clubs looking to add some Triple-A rotation depth.

Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images

Rangers, Cory Abbott Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers and right-hander Cory Abbott have agreed to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. He’ll work as a starter with their Triple-A affiliate for the time being. The Dynamic Sports Group client had been pitching in the Mexican League to begin the 2025 season.

Abbott, 28, was a second-round pick by the Cubs in 2017 and has pitched in parts of three big league seasons, suiting up for both the Cubs and Nationals from 2021-23. He’s pitched 104 2/3 innings in the majors and struggled to a 6.02 earned run average due primarily to troubles with home run. Abbott’s 20.2% strikeout rate isn’t all that far south of this year’s 21.9% league average, but he’s surrendered an average of 2.41 homers per nine innings in the majors. Homers have been a problem for him in parts of four Triple-A campaigns as well, but he’s fanned a hearty 27.7% of his opponents at that level.

It’s only a sample of 15 innings with los Tecos de los Dos Laredos in 2025, but Abbott has been sharp in an exceptionally hitter-friendly environment. He’s held opponents to four runs on 13 hits and eight walks with 15 strikeouts. The resulting 2.40 ERA is less than half the current Mexican League average of 5.75.

Abbott is the second former big leaguer the Rangers have signed out of the Mexican League this week alone; Texas picked up righty Robert Dugger on a minor league deal yesterday after he got out to a decent start with los Guerreros de Oaxaca. Abbott and Dugger are two of just a handful of starters in Mexico to keep their ERAs south of 4.00 on the young LMB season.

The Rangers also recently added former Giants and Rockies southpaw Ty Blach on a minor league deal. They’ve been stockpiling experienced arms with Jon Gray, Cody Bradford and Kumar Rocker on the injured list at present. None of the three new arms they’ve signed in the past week will step right onto the MLB roster, but they’ll add some innings in Round Rock and could be summoned to the majors should the Rangers incur further rotation injuries or find themselves with a need for a long man in the bullpen.

Rangers Sign Robert Dugger To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Robert Dugger to a minor league deal, reports Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. McFarland also confirmed the Ty Blach signing, which MLBTR reported last week.

Dugger, 29, has a bit of major league experience. He has 86 2/3 innings under his belt, mostly as a swingman/spot starter/long reliever. He has allowed 7.17 earned runs per nine innings in that time with a 16.5% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. He also had a brief stint with the SSG Landers in the KBO League but was released after six rough starts there.

As one would expect, his minor league performance has been more serviceable. From 2022 to 2024, he tossed 306 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level with a 4.49 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate. He started this year with the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League and made three starts for that club, with a 3.97 ERA over 11 1/3 innings.

The Rangers have Kumar Rocker, Jon Gray and Cody Bradford all on the injured list right now. Also, Jack Leiter isn’t fully established as a big league starter yet. He recently returned from an IL stint and allowed six earned runs in his most recent outing. The Rangers are about to start a stretch of playing 13 games in a row followed by one day off and then a nine-gamer. If the staff gets taxed at any point, Dugger could potentially come up for a spot start or to serve in a long relief role.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Hanisch, Imagn Images

Rangers Hire Bret Boone As Hitting Coach

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The Rangers announced Monday that they’ve hired former big leaguer Bret Boone as their new hitting coach. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner will take over as the top voice leading Rangers hitters. Offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker was fired just yesterday. Boone’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season, per Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com. The team will reevaluate at that point.

In other Rangers news, president of baseball operations Chris Young announced to the team’s beat today that they’re planning to recall outfielder Evan Carter from Triple-A Round Rock prior to tomorrow’s series opener against the Red Sox (link via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News).

“You never know where life’s going to take you,” Boone said in announcing the news on his own podcast (video clip). “And the longer I live on this Earth, I learn that. This completely came out of left field. I went up to USC, my alma mater. I threw out a first pitch. I ran into an old buddy of mine, Michael Young, and he’s with the Texas Rangers. We just started talking, and we had a 10-minute conversation. … I get home, and the phone’s ringing, and it’s [Rangers manager] Bruce Bochy.”

Boone went on to joke that he thought Bochy, his former manager and a longtime friend, was calling to set up another appearance on Boone’s podcast. Bochy ran the possibility of a coaching position by Boone and told him to think about it. Boone explained that he spoke with his wife and loved ones but that it “didn’t take long” to decide he’d accept the position.

“If there’s a guy to get back on the field for — for the first time in a long time for me,” Boone continued, “Bruce Bochy is No. 1 on my list.”

Boone, 56, will be tasked with helping to turn around what has been one of the sport’s most disappointing offenses. The Rangers have limped to a an awful .228/.285/.359 batting line as a team. The resulting 83 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 17% worse than average at the plate as a unit) ranks 25th in the majors. Texas hitters rank 29th with 113 runs scored, 25th in team batting average, 28th in OBP and 25th in slugging percentage. They also have the second-worst walk rate of any team in the majors.

It’s the second consecutive season the Rangers have struggled as a group. Last year, on the heels of a season that saw what was an MLB-best offense in 2023 struggle against fastballs in 2024, the front office overhauled the lineup. Nathaniel Lowe was traded to the Nationals. Jake Burger was acquired from the Marlins. Texas signed Joc Pederson to a two-year contract. Center fielder Leody Taveras was supposed to be pushed to a bench role, but injuries opened up more consistent playing time for him.

The results clearly haven’t been what the team envisioned. Burger was optioned to Triple-A recently. Taveras is on outright waivers. Pederson has been the worst hitter in baseball (min. 90 plate appearances), slashing just .o94/.181/.153 with the ultra-rare negative wRC+ mark (-4, indicating he’s been 104% worse than an average hitter). Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia have also posted bleak offensive numbers in regular playing time.

Boone isn’t the first new voice the Rangers have installed recently. Ecker was dismissed after three years on the job, but Justin Viele was hired away from the Giants over the winter to bring in a fresh perspective. He and Boone will work with Seth Conner, who’s been an assistant hitting coach since 2022, to help turn the tide for a fourth-place Texas club that’s currently sitting at 17-18 — four games back of the division-leading Mariners.

As Young announced, Boone isn’t the only notable change. Carter will be coming up from Triple-A tomorrow and figures to step right into a prominent outfield role. He was a catalyst during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run, debuting late in the year with a .306/.413/.645 slash in 23 games down the stretch and keeping the pace with a .300/.417/.500 showing in the postseason that year. Back injuries ruined Carter’s 2024 season, however; he slashed only .188/.272/.361 in 162 major league plate appearances and spent the majority of the season on the injured list.

Carter, still just 22 years old, has had a better showing in Round Rock this year but still doesn’t look to have recaptured that 2023 form. The former second-round pick (2020) is hitting .221/.333/.416 in Triple-A on the season. He’s hit three homers, swiped six bags and drawn a walk in a hearty 14.4% of his plate appearances but also has a 25.6% strikeout rate in 90 turns at the plate. It’s not the most encouraging Triple-A production, but the bar to clear is low, given Taveras’ .241/.259/.342 line in 82 plate appearances.

Rangers Place Leody Taveras On Outright Waivers

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The Rangers have placed outfielder Leody Taveras on outright waivers, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.  Taveras can continue playing for Texas until he is claimed, which differentiates the “outright waiver” process from a more standard designation for assignment.  If a claim happens, Taveras’ new team will assume the rest of his 2025 salary, which is roughly $3.8MM remaining of a $4.75MM total.

Taveras entered the season with three years and 124 days of official Major League service time, which plays an important role in his waiver status.  Because Taveras has more than three years of service time, should he clear waivers, he can turn down an outright assignment to Triple-A and become a free agent.  However, because he has less than five years of MLB service time, becoming a free agent means that Taveras would forego his $3.8MM in remaining salary.

It leaves the outfielder with an interesting decision to make should the situation arise, though another team could make it a moot point by simply claiming Taveras off waivers.  Public defensive metrics have been somewhat mixed on Taveras’ performance as a center fielder, though the Outs Above Average metric has been solidly in his corner over his six MLB seasons.  Moving him into a corner outfield spot (or having Taveras as a fourth outfielder rather than strictly as a center fielder) would only help make him more of a clear-cut defensive plus.

Taveras has been a below-average hitter over the course of his career, and he has particularly struggled this year by hitting .241/.259/.342 over 82 plate appearances.  Taveras has an 84 wRC+ over 1825 career PA in the majors, with a high point of a 100 wRC+ (from a .266/.312/.421 slash line in 554 PA) during the Rangers’ World Series championship season in 2023.  The switch-hitter has performed a bit better as a lefty batter than as a righty batter during his career, but even his .241/.291/.387 slash line from the left side of the plate is pretty modest.

Taveras is a Super Two player who has two remaining years of arbitration eligibility, so a new team would also be gaining control over his services through the 2027 season in the event of a claim.  There wasn’t much suggestion that the Rangers could non-tender Taveras last winter even in the wake of an uninspiring 2024 season, though there was some trade speculation surrounding Taveras last January.  Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers again tried to deal Taveras as recently as last week, but found no takers willing to both move players and absorb all of Taveras’ contract.

A waiver claim would allow the Rangers to cleanly part ways with Taveras while moving a bit of extra money off the books.  Remaining under the $241MM luxury tax threshold is one of the Rangers’ chief goals for the season, and with an estimated (as per RosterResource) $237.1MM tax number at the moment, Texas only has a bit of space to spare.  Moving Taveras would give the Rangers more breathing room to stay under the tax line while still possibility having some flexibility to add at the deadline.

Kevin Pillar, Dustin Harris, or utilityman Josh Smith could share center field duties if Taveras is indeed on his way out of Texas.  For Smith in particular, more time in center field would give the Rangers a way of keeping Smith’s hot bat in what has been an otherwise pretty dismal lineup.  Former top prospect Evan Carter could be a candidate to be called up from Triple-A, but Carter is hitting only .221/.333/.416 over 90 PA at Round Rock so far in 2025.

Rangers Fire Offensive Coordinator Donnie Ecker

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The Rangers announced that offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker has been fired after three-plus seasons in his role.  No replacement was named, as the press release announcing the move stated that “the structure of the club’s hitting staff is expected to be addressed in the coming days.”

“After lengthy discussions and deliberations, we feel now is the appropriate time to provide our hitters with a new voice as we pursue goals of winning the division and reaching the postseason,” Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young said in the press release.  “We are extremely grateful to Donnie for all that he has accomplished here with the Rangers, including his role in the club’s 2023 World Series championship.  We wish him the best.”

The news comes in the aftermath of the Rangers’ 8-1 win over the Mariners today, which marked just the third time this season that Texas had scored eight or more runs in a game.  The Rangers entered today’s action ranked near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, and carried a team-wide .224/.280/.357 slash line and 82 wRC+ prior to today’s breakout against Seattle.

Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia are two of the most prominent under-performing regulars, while offseason signing Joc Pederson has a hard-to-fathom 2 wRC+ through his first 91 plate appearances in a Rangers uniform.  Infielder Jake Burger was another offseason pickup who has struggled badly, and Texas already optioned him to Triple-A earlier this week.  Leody Taveras has usually been a glove-first player anyway, but the Rangers chose to put the outfielder on outright waivers today.

These are a few of the major weak links that undermined a few hot starts within the lineup (i.e. Wyatt Langford, Corey Seager, Josh Smith, Jonah Heim), and more pressingly, a fantastic early showing from the Texas rotation.  Even with so little from the offense, the Rangers have still managed an even 18-18 record thanks in large part to the outstanding starting pitching.

As always, it is unfair to point the finger at one particular coach (or coordinator, in this case) for a team’s performance.  As Young noted in his own statement, criticism of Ecker’s work should also acknowledge the fact that the Rangers were an offensive powerhouse less than two years ago when Texas won the first World Series title in franchise history.  That said, the 2024 Rangers followed up that championship season with a 78-84 record.  Inconsistent pitching was the biggest issue last year, yet the offense also slumped to a 95 wRC+, ranking 22nd of 30 teams.

Ecker is only 39 years old, yet he already has a lengthy resume with multiple teams.  He was a minor league hitting coach with various Cardinals and Angels affiliates from 2015-18, and he then moved to the big leagues as the Reds’ assistant hitting coach for the 2019 season.  Ecker was one of two hitting coaches employed by the Giants in 2020-21 before he came to Texas as both a bench coach and the “offensive coordinator” role that focused on shaping the team’s overall offensive philosophy.

The bench coach duties changed this past offseason, as Ecker became just the offensive coordinator when Luis Urueta was hired as the Rangers’ new bench coach.  Will Venable had previously been the Rangers’ associate manager before he was hired to manage the White Sox, so Urueta has apparently taken over the chief lieutenant role behind manager Bruce Bochy.  Texas also made a change at hitting coach, as Justin Viele was hired while assistant hitting coach Seth Conner was retained.

As noted by Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, this marks the first time in Bochy’s long managerial career that one of his coaches has ever been replaced during a season.  In general, in-season coaching changes have become relatively rarer throughout baseball, since one particular coach is just one of several voices contributing to what has become an increasingly organization-wide approach to game-planning and preparation.

In the most basic sense that a coaching change can shake a team up, results have been mixed over the years.  For every instance where a team is sparked by a change (i.e. the Mariners heating up after Dan Wilson was hired as manager and Edgar Martinez was hired as hitting coach last August), you can cite another where a staffing change didn’t get a club back on track.

Since it is also just May 4, it can be argued that we’re also still in “slow start” territory, with still a relatively small sample size of evidence that something is drastically wrong with the Texas offense.  Of course, Ecker’s dismissal obviously means the Rangers didn’t feel the same way, given the abrupt and somewhat surprising nature of the firing.  It will be intriguing to see how the team responds to the change, and whether or not the Rangers fill Ecker’s role from within the organization or with a new hire.

Nick Ahmed Elects Free Agency

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Shortstop Nick Ahmed has elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, the team announced.  Texas designated Ahmed for assignment earlier this week.

The Rangers signed Ahmed to a minor league deal during the offseason, released him prior to Opening Day, and then brought him back on a fresh minors contract midway through April.  This latter deal paid off with some time on the big league roster, as Ahmed had his contract selected when regular shortstop Corey Seager was on the injured list.  Ahmed started three of his five games in a Rangers uniform, with one hit in 10 plate appearances.

With more than 10 years of Major League service time on his resume, Ahmed had more than enough experience to turn down outright assignments in favor of free agency, and he has taken this route multiple times over the last two seasons during past DFAs.  After spending his first 10 big league seasons with the Diamondbacks, Ahmed has bounced around to the Giants, Padres, Dodgers, and Rangers since February 2024, getting at least a bit of MLB action with all four of those teams.

The 35-year-old Ahmed might opt to re-sign with Texas again once he checks out the market, or he could seek out another opportunity with a new club.  In any case, Ahmed is likely ticketed for a glove-first depth role wherever he signs on another minor league deal.

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