ANAHEIM — ANAHEIM — The Texas Rangers — with six games left until the All-Star break and under one month until the trade deadline — have entered a now or never mode. That certainly applies to their standing in the American League West.
It also applies to their roster.
The Texas Rangers selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Daniel Robert on Monday and optioned right-hander Grant Anderson back to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday prior to their series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.
The most surprising outcome of this roster move? Left-handed pitcher Antoine Kelly — the organization’s No. 21 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — was designated for assignment to make room for Robert on the club’s 40-man roster.
Kelly profiled as a legitimate bullpen option prior to the season, but 22 walks in 17 and 1/3 innings pitched with Round Rock and Double-A Frisco this season inflated his 2.42 WHIP and 9.35 ERA and negated his raw arm talent and upper-echelon velocity. The 24-year-old missed a significant portion of April with a right rotator cuff strain, walked 11 batters in six innings pitched in May and was demoted to Double-A Frisco on Friday.
“He’s not as consistent as we’d like,” general manager Chris Young said Monday. “and not able to handle the upper levels to the extent that we were hoping. It’s an unfortunate roster casualty, but we’re in win-now mode.”
The 24-year-old was named the organization’s Minor League Reliever of the Year in 2023 after he posted a 2.04 ERA and a 3.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 57 and 1/3 innings pitched between Round Rock and Frisco. He had touched 99 mph with his fastball in May — and at one point this season threw harder than all but 11 qualified left-handed pitchers in the major leagues — but couldn’t adequately control it.
Kelly — whom the Rangers acquired in exchange for Matt Bush in 2022 from the Milwaukee Brewers — will now go through outright waivers. He has seven days to be claimed by another organization; if he is not, he may remain with the Rangers organization but not on the 40-man roster.
“It’s unfortunate,” Young said. “but we have to make space.”
Robert, 29, was a 21st-round selection out of Auburn in the 2017 MLB Draft. He had a 6.28 ERA in Round Rock two seasons ago and a 4.40 ERA there last year, but is in the midst of the best season of his professional career with a 2.35 ERA in 30 and 2/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen.
Anderson — who had a 8.35 ERA in 17 games with the Rangers this season — has now been optioned to the minor leagues four times this season, which means that he can be recalled and optioned just once more this season; the 27-year-old would need to be pass through outright waivers if he were to be recalled and optioned again after a sixth time.
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