A major league front office makes a number of changes each year. Some are easy, and some are difficult. In response to their recent road trip in which they lost nine straight, the Texas Rangers made a very hard change. This week, the Rangers have opted to designate Khris Davis for assignment. The announcement came on Tuesday in Arlington. They have also recalled utility infielder/outfielder, Eli White, from Triple-A Round Rock as a corresponding roster move. The Rangers now have 39 players on their Major League roster along with seven that are on the 60-day injured list.
Next Move
This week is going to be crucial for the Rangers. They now have seven days to trade, release, or outright Davis to the minors. Hopefully, this will be a turning point for the Rangers as they approach mid-June. Davis just wasn’t the right fit. After being traded over the winter to the Rangers from the Oakland Athletics, he started the season on the 10-day IL with a strain in his right quad. He returned to the roster in mid-May. In a stretch of 22 games, he hit .157 (8-51) with two home runs and five RBI. Davis hasn’t looked comfortable in a Rangers uniform at all. The power just does not seem to be in his bat. Hopefully he can find it wherever he ends up next. For now, though, the Rangers are standing by their decision to designate Davis.
Coming Back Up
Eli White, meanwhile, will begin his third stint with the Rangers this year as he comes up to take Davis’ spot. In his first two tours of duty with the team, the 26-year old utility man hit .127 with no home runs, and four RBI in 22 games. 16 of those were games in which he started. He last played for the Rangers on May 13th against the Houston Astros. In his 20 games since then at Round Rock, he’s hit .343 with three home runs, and eleven RBI. This move won’t fix all of the Rangers’ problems, but it’s a start. It’s just been a bad stretch, and perhaps the Rangers’ move to designate Khris Davis will be beneficial for everyone.
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