Rangers Select Michel Otañez

The Rangers announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Michel Otañez. Left-hander Robby Ahlstrom has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, right-hander Cole Winn has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the Otañez and Ahlstrom moves prior to the official announcement.

Otañez, 29, still hasn’t pitched for the Rangers. His major league track record consists of 39 1/3 innings tossed for the Athletics over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In that time, he allowed 4.81 earned runs per nine and struck out 34.1% of batters faced but gave out walks at a huge 14% clip.

The A’s put him on waivers in November and Texas claimed him. The Rangers sent him to Triple-A Round Rock to start the season. He posted a 6.15 ERA in his first 26 1/3 innings this year. He was striking out 30.8% of opponents but giving out free passes at an awful 20.8% clip. The Rangers then put him on waivers and he cleared. It was his first career outright, so he had to stay at Round Rock in a non-roster capacity.

He has been better since then. In his most recent 28 2/3 innings, he has a 2.83 ERA. His 14.9% walk rate in that time is still really high but a noticeable improvement on what he did before the outright. He has lowered that walk rate while also striking out batters at a slightly improved 32.5% clip.

The control is obviously a concern but Otañez has upper 90s velocity and could still be useful, so the Rangers will bring him up and see how it goes. Though he is being added to the roster after September 1, he would be eligible to pitch for the Rangers in the postseason since he was in the organization on that date. Technically, the club would need to petition the league for Otañez to be designated as a replacement for an injured player, but that process is routine and happens regularly.

As for Winn, he hit the 15-day IL in late August due to a rotator cuff strain. He’s now ineligible to be reinstated until late October, so it’s fair to assume his season is done. The IL goes away five days after the World Series, so he’ll need to be put back on the 40-man at that time. He posted a 5.63 ERA this year and is out of options, so it’s possible the Rangers nudge him off the roster instead.