The Rangers have optioned Dustin Harris to AAA and released a pair of veteran NRI pitchers
The Texas Rangers announced today that outfielder Dustin Harris has been optioned to AAA Round Rock, and non-roster invitee pitchers Jesse Chavez and Hunter Strickland have been released. In addition, the Texas Rangers PR account says that Alejandro Osuna was optioned to AA Frisco, but he is not on the 40 man roster, so he can’t be optioned. I assume they mean he was re-assigned to the minor league camp.
Neither Harris nor Osuna really had a path to making the Opening Day roster, and each being sent out was just a matter of time. Osuna, though, had a very good camp and made a positive impression after a strong 2024 season which he split between high-A and AA.
The 41 year old Chavez seemed coming into camp to have a good shot at making the team, but he has not had a good spring. Strickland was signed just nine days ago, but apparently didn’t impress anyone enough to stick around for a double digit number of days.
If my math is correct, this leaves the Rangers with 44 players still in the major league camp — 29 players on the 40 man roster, two players on the 60 day injured list, and 13 non-roster invitees. Of the 29 players on major league deals, we know Patrick Corbin won’t be on the Opening Day roster, since he just signed and won’t even join the team next week, and will need time to build up his pitch count. We also know that Cody Bradford won’t be on the Opening Day roster, as he is destined for the injured list.
There are 14 pitchers on the 40 man roster who are still in camp and who would be healthy and ready to go to start the season. Of those 14, Marc Church, Dane Dunning, Gerson Garabito, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker have options remaining. With a 13 pitcher limit to the major league roster, at least one of those pitchers would seem to be destined for AAA even if the Rangers didn’t ended up adding any of the remaining NRI pitchers to the Opening Day roster.
On the position player side, theoretically all 13 position players still in camp could end up on the major league roster. However, with Ezequiel Duran having a difficult spring and limited at bats available for him if he were on the major league roster, it seems like there’s a good possibility he gets sent down, with either Sam Haggerty or Kevin Pillar making the roster. Both Haggerty and Pillar could stick if the Rangers opted to start Evan Carter in AAA to begin the year, or to trade Leody Taveras.