Rangers Option Josh Smith, Select Jarred Kelenic

The Rangers announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Jarred Kelenic. Infielder Josh Smith has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock as the corresponding active roster move. Infielder/outfielder Michael Helman has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

Smith is optioned to the minors for the first time since 2022. He was a light-hitting utility player for the World Series-winning club in 2023. He secured a larger role in the past two years. Over 2024 and 2025, he slashed .254/.336/.380 for a wRC+ of 107 while playing every position on the diamond outside of the battery.

In the most recent offseason, the Rangers shipped second baseman Marcus Semien to the Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. That created an opening for Smith to seize the second base job but that hasn’t happened. He made 108 plate appearances through the first week of May with a .217/.324/.239 line.

A glute strain then sent him to the injured list. While he was out, he dealt with some wrist soreness and then was hospitalized by viral meningitis. He finally returned a few days ago and he has hit .222/.222/.333 in his past three games, giving him a .218/.316/.248 line for the year.

The Rangers will try to get him back on track at the Triple-A level. While he was on the IL, they mostly used a combination of Nicky Lopez and Justin Foscue to cover the spot. Ezequiel Durán was also in the mix but he’s now covering shortstop while Corey Seager is on the IL.

Lopez is a strong defender but has a .246/.310/.312 batting line in his career. He has a better .313/.353/.396 line with the Rangers this year but in a tiny sample of 52 plate appearances, buoyed by a .368 batting average on balls in play. Foscue has good numbers on the year but he’s a limited player as he made some defensive miscues and has done all of his damage against lefties. Cody Freeman could also get some time at the keystone. If Seager gets healthy, he could bump Durán back to second base.

The Rangers could look to upgrade the position, or their general infield depth, ahead of the deadline. Their 35-39 record isn’t terribly inspiring but the weak American League field means that they are only 1.5 games back of a playoff spot at the moment.

Kelenic, 26, jumps into the outfield group. The Rangers signed him to a minor league deal earlier this month after he was bumped off the White Sox’ roster. He reported to Triple-A Round Rock and put up a huge .340/.431/.620 line in 13 games for the Express.

Minor league success is nothing new for Kelenic. He was once a top prospect, after being selected sixth overall in 2018 and then crushing his way through the minors. But he has now taken 1,547 big league plate appearances with Seattle, Atlanta and Chicago, producing a .211/.283/.374 in those. The Rangers will be the latest club to try to coax a big league breakout from him.

It’s unclear how much playing time he will get. Texas has Nimmo, Wyatt Langford and Alejandro Osuna in the lineup tonight. Joc Pederson is in the designated hitter spot most nights. He does need a platoon partner but he and Kelenic are both lefties. Osuna is hitting just .240/.352/.260 on the year so perhaps there’s a path for Kelenic to nab some playing time from him.

As for Helman, he was hit on the hand by a pitch last week, as seen in this clip from Baseball Savant. He was quickly diagnosed with multiple fractures, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. He was placed on the 10-day IL the next day. His exact timeline is unclear but this transaction indicates the Rangers expect him to be out until at least the middle of August.