Rangers recall Guzmán and Gibaut, activate Mazara, Sampson, Springs, and Vólquez
Arlington, Texas -- The Texas Rangers announced this morning that the club has made the following roster moves with the expansion of MLB active rosters beginning September 1:
- 1B Ronald Guzmán (#11) and RHP Ian Gibaut (#63) recalled from Nashville (AAA)
- OF Nomar Mazara (#30) and RHP Adrian Sampson (#52) activated off the 10-day injured list
- LHP Jeffrey Springs (#54) and RHP Edinson Vólquez (#36) activated off the 60-day injured list
- RHP Pedro Payano and LHP Locke St. John designated for assignment
Following these transactions, the Rangers’ active roster is at 31 players for Sunday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners, and the club is at the 40-man limit on the Major League roster.
Guzmán, 24, will be in his second stint with the Rangers this season, as he was with the club from Opening Day-July 22. He has batted .193 with 8 home runs and 29 RBI over 68 games for Texas in 2019, and he remains the team leader with 56 starts at first base. He was on the 10-day injured list from April 7-May 8 with a right hamstring strain. His last game with Texas was July 22 at Seattle, and his last start was July 21 at Houston. Guzmán has batted .316/.409/.518/.927 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI over 29 games with Nashville since being optioned on July 23, including a .363 (29-80) batting average over his last 20 contests.
Gibaut (pronounced jih-BOH), 25, posted 5.0 scoreless innings over 3 games with Texas during his lone stint with the club from August 16-20. Overall this season, he has a 2.57 ERA (2 ER/7.0 IP) over 4 relief appearances with Tampa Bay and Texas in his first career MLB action. His last outing with the Rangers was August 20 vs. Los Angeles-AL (D), as he was optioned to Nashville between games of a doubleheader. Gibaut, who was acquired in a July 28 trade with Tampa Bay, has a 1-2 record with 4 saves and a 4.50 ERA (9 ER/18.0 IP) over 19 games/one start in the minors this season.
Mazara, 24, has batted .268 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI over 109 games for the Rangers in 2019. He was on the 10-day injured list from August 20-31 with a left oblique strain, and his last game with Texas was August 19 vs. Los Angeles-AL. Mazara has a team-high 94 starts in right field this season, and ranks among team leaders in doubles (T1st, 27), RBI (3rd, 62), and runs (4th, 65).
Sampson, 27, has a 6-8 record and 5.82 ERA (75 ER/116.0 IP) over 29 games/15 starts for Texas this season. He was on the 10-day injured list from August 18-31 with lower back spasms and last pitched for the club on August 17 vs. Minnesota. Sampson ranks among club leaders in innings (3rd, 116.0), wins (4th, 6), and starts (4th, 15) in 2019.
Springs, 26, is seeking his first Major League action since June 16 at Cincinnati. He posted a 4-1 record and 6.23 ERA (18 ER/26.0 IP) over 20 relief appearances spanning two stints with the Rangers (Opening Day-April 25, May 15-current) before going on the injured list from June 17-August 31 with left biceps tendinitis. He was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list on June 28. Springs made 3 appearances on injury rehabilitation assignment with the Arizona League Rangers (Aug. 20-23) and Nashville (Aug. 29): 3.0 scoreless innings, opponents 0-for-9 with no walks and 4 strikeouts.
Vólquez, 36, has been on the injured list since April 5 with a right elbow sprain. He was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list on April 13. He has no record and a 7.04 ERA (6 ER/7.2 IP) over 2 games/starts with Texas this season, last pitching on April 4 at Los Angeles-AL. The veteran made 8 appearances last month on injury rehabilitation assignment with the Arizona League Rangers (Aug. 7-17) and Double-A Frisco (Aug. 20-28), posting a combined 1.13 ERA (1 ER/8.0 IP) and holding opponents to a .207 (6-29) batting average with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. His last MLB relief appearance came with the Royals on October 4, 2015 at Minnesota.
The Rangers have seven days to release or outright both Payano and St. John to the minor leagues. Payano posted a 1-2 record with a 5.73 ERA over 6 games/4 starts for Texas this season, while St. John had no record and a 5.40 ERA in 7 relief appearances. It was the first MLB action for both pitchers.