The Rangers announced that catcher Tucker Barnhart has elected free agency. That indicates that he has passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment over the weekend.
Barnhart, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in the offseason. He was called up to the big leagues at the end of April as Kyle Higashioka battled a hamstring injury, replacing Higashioka as the backup to Jonah Heim. Higashioka was on the injured list for most of the first half of May. Barnhart stuck on the roster even once Higashioka was reinstated, giving the club three catchers for a while.
Naturally, that didn’t lead to a lot of playing time for Barnhart. Though he spent over a month on the roster, he only got into eight games and stepped to the plate just 15 times, producing a .231/.333/.231 line in those.
As a veteran with years of big league experience, Barnhart can’t be sent to the minors without his consent, so the Rangers bumped him off the 40-man. His experience also gives him the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, so he will now look for his next opportunity.
The fact that he cleared waivers suggests there isn’t a major league job available for him right now but he should have no trouble finding a minor league offer if he wants one. He has now appeared in 924 major league games dating back to his 2014 debut. His .241/.318/.351 line translates to a wRC+ of 78 but he has a strong reputation for his work while donning the tools of ignorance.
Photo courtesy of David Butler II, Imagn Images
“… but he has a strong reputation for his work while donning the tools of ignorance.”
Huh?
Just googled it. Lol. That’s hilarious.
3rd string catcher but was hitting better than semien and garcia
Austin Barnes is still out there too after Dodgers cut him. Who would you sign out of those two
Think he could play LF? /s