Rangers Move from Kevin Pillar Forced By Burgeoning Outfield Options

The Texas Rangers are scuffling offensively and as they return from this weekend road trip they will be under .500 and in fourth place in the American League West.

The offensive struggles the team has had have made it difficult for an elite starting rotation to keep things together. But, as they prepare for the season to move into June, the good news is Texas is still in contention to win the division.

But, it doesn't mean Texas can stand pat, and Sunday's latest move was another example.

On Sunday, the Rangers moved designated hitter Joc Pederson heading to the injured list. Texas opted to call up highly-regarded outfield prospect Alejandro Osuna after he impressed the franchise at MLB spring training.

But Osuna wasn't on the 40-man roster and the Rangers had to clear a space to do so, they designated veteran outfielder designating Kevin Pillar for assignment.

Why Rangers DFA'ed Kevin Pillar

This was a bit of a surprise. The Rangers signed Pillar in spring training to add more slug to an outfield situation that was a bit fluid after Evan Carter's slow start. He was well-liked in the clubhouse and was in the opening day lineup as the starting center fielder over Leody Taveras.

But, he's been hit or miss this season. He slashed .209/.256/.465 with six runs, one RBI, three stolen bases, and eight strikeouts to no walks. Like many Rangers, he hasn't found a groove offensively and he's produced well below his career slash of .255/.293/.405.

The 36-year-old has also been dealing with a back issue, one that put him on the 10-day injured list on May 7. He returned on May 18. But the offensive struggles persisted.

In the field, he was a quality player, with no errors in 86.1 innings. But Texas is struggling at the plate and is pushing every lever to try and get the batting order moving.

Osuna is a move in that direction. He remained with the Rangers well into MLB spring training. He earned a promotion to Triple-A Round Rock recently and has posted some of the best offensive numbers in the system — 279/.386/.416 with two home runs and 15 RBI.

The Rangers also anticipate that Carter will begin a rehab assignment sometime this week as he works his way back from a right quad strain. He was batting below .200 before the injury, but the Rangers are committed to getting him going offensively.

Sam Haggerty has now made himself a part of the outfield mix as his bat has surprised, with a slash of .263/.317/.447 with a home run and two RBI.

The reality is that between his bat and the burgeoning options in the outfield that Pillar was going to get squeezed out at some point. The Rangers chose Sunday because it was necessary due to Pederson's injury.