Hundley hired as Rangers' assistant to GM

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers have hired former MLB catcher Nick Hundley as assistant to the general manager, the club announced on Monday.

Hundley, a 12-year big leaguer, will reunite with Texas general manager Chris Young. Hundley caught 128 innings behind Young while the two were teammates in San Diego from 2008-10. The two also worked together in baseball operations at the Commissioner’s Office in 2020.

Hundley’s final Major League game came with the A’s on June 8, 2019, against the Rangers at Globe Life Park, their former home.

The Rangers also announced the signing of outfielder and first baseman Joe McCarthy to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

McCarthy was a 2015 fifth-round MLB Draft pick out of the University of Virginia, where he was teammates with Rangers pitcher Josh Sborz when they won that year's College World Series. McCarthy made his MLB debut in 2020, appearing in just four games for the Giants without notching a hit in 10 at-bats.

He spent all of 2021 with Triple-A Sacramento (San Francisco's affiliate), slashing .306/.384/.542 with a .926 OPS and 15 home runs. He posted career highs in homers, batting average, slugging and OPS. While he has struggled in his limited experience against big league pitching, McCarthy has been solid throughout his Minor League career, with a .255/.355/.464 slash line over three Triple-A seasons.

McCarthy’s addition brings more depth to the Rangers' crowded outfield options both in Triple-A and at the big league level. Because many of those options -- including Eli White, Leody Taveras and Zack Reks -- also have little to no big league experience, McCarthy could find himself on the active roster with a strong showing in Spring Training.