Thursday Newsletter time: Rangers planning for reinforcements from the minors. It could get tricky.
Jon Daniels said some arrivals, like Curtis Terry, could be coming in a matter of days and after the July 30 trade deadline.
Minor-leaguers are coming to the Texas Rangers’ roster, president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said Wednesday. A few could be days away, while what happens at the June 30 trade deadline will dictate when others arrive.
Triple A Round Rock first baseman Curtis Terry is expected to be first up. He has slumped some in July, but is still hitting .292 this season with 17 home runs and a .950 OPS.
UPDATE: Terry will have his contract purchased Friday and be available for his MLB debut, a source said Thursday night.
There are opportunities for him to get regular at-bats at first base and designated hitter. A right-handed hitter, Terry could wiggle into platoons with Nathaniel Lowe and David Dahl.
The problem with Terry is that he is not on the 40-man roster and a spot will have to be created for him. Just about every candidate for promotion at Triple A, including right-hander Drew Anderson, is not on the 40-man.
One exception is center fielder Leody Taveras, who is currently stuck in a 2-for-21 slump.
The Rangers have reached the point where they will be facing difficult decisions on who to take off the 40-man. The trade deadline could create a few spots. Some veterans who aren’t part of the future might lose their roster spots.
The Rangers might also have to option young players on the roster back to the minors to create spots on the 26-man roster. Demarcus Evans and Andy Ibanez come to mind.
And, yes, players who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can be promoted directly from Double A, a change to an early-season MLB policy. Daniels said the Rangers considered calling up multiple minor-league starters, presumably some at Double A, to make a spot start last weekend.
The Rangers should not promote Double A right-handers Cole Winn, Hans Crouse, A.J. Alexy and Yerry Rodriguez, or left-handers Jake Latz and Cole Ragans to the majors. Triple A? Fine. Alexy and Rodriguez are on the 40-man roster, however.
And so is Sam Huff, the team’s No. 2 prospect who was just assigned to Frisco after a having knee surgery in April. Top prospect Josh Jung is not on the 40-man roster.
The influx of players from the minors, though, is coming. Soon.
Buying at the deadline?
Don’t be surprised if the Rangers acquire help at the deadline — help for 2022 and beyond.
Daniels said the Rangers have been discussing “baseball deals” that could help the Rangers take care of some of their offseason work.
The farm system, buoyed by the draft and the international signing class and likely to see a talent infusion at the deadline from trades from the big-league roster, has more quality depth than it has had in years.
The Rangers can’t go crazy trading away prospects, but can deal from it as they did in December in acquiring Nathaniel Lowe. (Lowe, by the way, is called Nathaniel by everyone he knows outside of baseball. He never made a stink about it, but his mom did in a tweet earlier this month on his birthday. Hence, he’s now Nathaniel).
Their most famous buy while in selling mode came in 2015 as they acquired left-hander Cole Hamels for a handful of prospects and injured lefty Matt Harrison. The Hamels trade was made with an eye on 2016, when Yu Darvish would be returning from Tommy John surgery, and 2017, when Hamels and Darvish would be ready for a full season.
Hamels ended up leading the Rangers to the division title in 2015, and the Hamels-Darvish plan helped provide another AL West crown in 2016. They pitched poorly in the division series against Toronto, though.
That type of move would be a shocker. A Lowe-esque move, though, won’t be.
More long balls
The Rangers have connected for one home run in six games since the All-Star break. Eli White has that honor.
Their opponents? Sixteen.
Sixteen!
Jordan Lyles has coughed up seven of them, including three Wednesday in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The Rangers have lost eight straight games and all six in the “second half” of the season.
“The mistakes were hit over the fence again this outing,” Lyles said. “I’ve just got to stay away from the long ball. You’ve got to be a little more consistent, and you have to give credit to Detroit.”
He and Mike Foltynewicz have combined to allow 52 home runs this season. Foltynewicz has allowed an MLB-worst 28. Lyles is second at 24.
The Rangers have issued 138 homers, fourth-most in the majors. They’re throwing a lot of balls around the plate. They just aren’t commanding their pitches and are falling behind too many hitters.
Lyles said he threw too many down the middle and the Tigers didn’t miss them. It hasn’t just been the Tigers this season, though. Or last, for that matter.
ICYMI …
This is going to become a fairly regular component of the daily newsletter, just because there’s been some good stuff posted at jeffwilson.substack.com. If you’re not a paid subscriber, you’re missing out. Trust me.
Here’s a sampling from just the past few days:
Breaking down the Jon Daniels media availability.
T.R.’s Memoirs looks at Bobby Valentine (Part I).
What the Rangers should do at the trade deadline.
Doggy video!
I’m not sure this makes me like burpees any more, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Enjoy. See you Friday.
