The calendar is quickly approaching the month of December. During this time of year, teams will start to reach out to one another in hopes of landing a player, or players to bolster their roster for the following season. The Texas Rangers are one of the teams that are getting an early start on 2022. On Monday afternoon, the Rangers made a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rangers will receive outfielders Billy McKinney and Zach Reks from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.
Coming Home
Both McKinney and Reks were designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Friday. They were then placed on the Rangers’ 40-man roster on Monday. The 27-year old McKinney is a native of Dallas, Texas, and a graduate of Plano High School. He saw major league time with the Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and the New York Mets in 2021. In a career-high 116 games, he combined to hit .192 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. He also appeared in four postseason games for the Dodgers in the Wild Card and Division Series rounds. Prior to 2021, McKinney also spent time with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. He hit .215 with 27 home runs, and he drove in 68 runs during that stretch.
Corner Man
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Reks got off to a rough start for the Dodgers in 2021. He began his major league career going hitless in his first ten at-bats over six games. He spent the majority of last year at Triple-A Oklahoma City. In 87 appearances, he had a slash line of .280/.382/.539/.921 (90-321) with 19 home runs and 67 RBI. Over four minor league seasons in the Dodgers’ system, he hit .295 with 54 home runs and 212 RBI. During that time, nearly all of his starts came at the corner outfield positions (173-LF, 63-RF, 16-1B).
Quite a Mix
The addition of McKinney and Reks brings something new and exciting to an already talented bunch of outfielders. Heading into spring training in 2022, they will join the likes of Willie Calhoun, DJ Peters, Adolis Garcia, Leody Taveras, and Eli White. The Texas Rangers have hit the ground running in the winter of 2021, and it doesn’t look like they’re finished yet.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Billy McKinney, Zach Reks, Willie Calhoun, DJ Peters, Adolis Garcia, Leody Taveras, Eli White
