The Texas Rangers picked up former Pittsburgh pitcher Nick Mears on a waiver claim on Friday and designated outfielder Eli White for assignment.
The Rangers made the announcement via Twitter.
The Rangers needed to make a move to add Mears to the 40-man roster. By designating White for assignment, the Rangers have seven days to trade White or place him on irrevocable outright waivers.
Mears, a right-hander, made 36 relief appearances in three seasons with the Pirates since his debut in 2020. He made just two appearances in 2022, pitching two innings, giving up one hit and striking out two. He made the bulk of his appearances in 2021, when he pitched in 30 games and went 1-0 with a 5.01 ERA. He pitched 23 1/3 innings, giving up 25 hits, 14 runs (13 earned), five home runs and 13 walks. He struck out 23 and had a 1.63 WHIP.
White, 28, played all three of his MLB seasons with the Rangers. He played in 47 games in 2022, splitting time between left and center field. He was considered a candidate to compete for the left field position in spring training.
White batted .200/.274/.305/.579 with 16 runs, two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 11 walks. He struck out 41 times, stole 12 bases and was caught stealing one time.
His season basically ended on June 13 when the Rangers put him on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist fracture that eventually needed surgery. After spending time on the 60-day injured list, they activated him and sent him to Triple-A Round Rock for a rehab assignment, which was cut short after a setback.
In three seasons with Texas, White batted .185 with nine home runs and 28 RBI. His best asset was his speed, but he was unable to find consistency as a hitter in 130 career games.
TEXAS RANGERS 40-MAN ROSTER (40)
Pitchers (23)
Joe Barlow, Brock Burke, Jacob deGrom, Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Taylor Hearn, Jonathan Hernández, Spencer Howard, Zak Kent, John King, José Leclerc, Brett Martin, Nick Mears, Jake Odorizzi, Glenn Otto, Martín Pérez, Cole Ragans, Yerry Rodriguez, Josh Sborz, Ricky Vanasco, Owen White, Cole Winn.
Catchers (2): Jonah Heim, Sam Huff
Infielders (8): Luisangel Acuña, Ezequiel Duran, Josh Jung, Nathaniel Lowe, Jonathan Ornelas, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Josh H. Smith
Outfielders (5): Adolis García, Dustin Harris, Brad Miller, Leody Taveras, Bubba Thompson
Designated Hitter (2): Mitch Garver, Mark Mathias
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