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The Texas Rangers made a notable roster move involving the outfield on Monday.
It came shortly after the AL West club had signed right-hander Chris Paddack to a Major League deal.
Texas announced that former first-round draft pick Jarred Kelenic was designated for assignment, and infielder/outfielder Cameron Cauley has been promoted from Triple-A.
"Kelenic is also a lefty hitter with traditional splits, so he’s a poor fit to platoon with Carter and generally not a great fit as a fourth outfielder behind three lefties," Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors wrote.
"Cauley is right-handed and makes much more sense in that role," McDonald added. "Since Kelenic is out of options, he can’t be easily sent to the minors, so he has been bumped off the 40-man entirely."
Kelenic, 26, made it into just seven games with the Rangers before the DFA. He recorded one hit with five strikeouts and two walks in 10 trips to the plate.
That's a pretty small sample size, but Kelenic's track record hasn't been strong in recent years.
He was once a highly touted prospect with the Seattle Mariners, but he never managed to an OPS higher than .746 in parts of three seasons there.
In 2024 with the Atlanta Braves, the left-handed hitter connected for a career-high 15 home runs but hit just .231/.286/.393 with a .679 OPS.
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He's still young, so another club may find value in having Kelenic as minor league outfield depth.
The Chicago White Sox took a flier on Kelenic during the offseason, but he was DFA'd after 19 games.
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