Rangers Sign Tucker Barnhart To Minors Contrac

The Rangers have signed catcher to a minor league contract, reports. The deal includes an invitation to the Rangers big league Spring Training camp, and Barnhart will earn $1MM if he makes Marc Gasol Jersey the Texas roster. Barnhart is the second veteran catcher the Rangers have acquired in the last two weeks, after inking to . is still the starting backstop in Arlington, but Heims struggles in 2024 left the Rangers looking for more depth, so Higashioka is expected to get more playing time than a normal backup. With these two locked into catching duties on the MLB roster, Barnhart and could be Triple-A depth unle s an injury emerges. A two-time Gold Glover from his days as the Reds starting catcher, Barnharts glovework helped paper over some only serviceable numbers at the plate. However, Barnharts once-modest offensive production has continued to sharply decline, while his glovework dropped to below-average in the view of Defensive Runs Saved (-2) and Statcasts Catcher Runs metric (-3). It should be noted that these numbers came in a limited sample size, as Barnhart appeared in only 31 big league games with the Diamondbacks last season. Even when starter was injured, the DBacks preferred for a lot of playing time, and Barnhart was the one designated for a signment and ultimately released after Moreno returned from the injured list. Barnhart landed with his old team in Cincinnati on a minors deal in August, but his return to the Reds didnt result in any MLB playing time. Barnhart has a .241/.318/.351 slash line in 3088 plate appearances acro s 11 seasons with the Reds, Tigers, Cubs, and Diamondbacks. Presumably his contract includes the standard veteran opt-out clauses, so Barnhart could end up back on the open market again if he doesnt see a clear path to playing time on the Rangers roster prior to Opening Day. Jerry West Jersey