Rangers Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minor League Deal

The Rangers have signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league deal, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News on X. The righty will report to Triple-A Round Rock in the coming days.

Crismatt, 29, returned to free agency earlier this week. He has bounced on and off the Dodgers’ roster a couple of times this year. He signed a minor league deal with that club in the winter and was added to the roster in late March. He pitched in one game before being designated for assignment and accepting an outright. He was selected again in late April and made four more appearances before losing his roster spot yet again.

Around those transactions, the results in his small sample of work have been decent. Crismatt has allowed two earned runs in seven major league innings so far this year, striking out six opponents without issuing a walk. His 12 2/3 Triple-A innings this year have produced a 5.68 ERA, though with some positive signs. He has struck out 28.8% of batters at that level with no walks given out. The high ERA is on account of three home runs surrendered, a 55.6% strand rate and .353 batting average on balls in play.

He had a frustrating 2023 season but was in good form in the two seasons prior to that. Last year, a hip strain cost him a couple of months of the season and he struggled when on the mound. He had an 8.31 ERA in 13 MLB innings as well as a 6.86 ERA in 59 Triple-A innings.

He spent 2021 and 2022 as a long reliever with the Padres. He threw 148 2/3 innings over 95 appearances with a 3.39 ERA. His 21.6% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate were close to average but he got ground balls at a strong clip of 50.6%.

The Dodgers frequently churn players through the final spots of their bullpen, which has put Crismatt on the transaction logs a few times. This time, he’ll switch organizations and see if he can carve out a role in Arlington. The Rangers currently have ten pitchers on the injured list, though Dane Dunning is expected to come off the IL and start today’s game. That will still leave them with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, Cody Bradford, Nathan Eovaldi, Brock Burke, Carson Coleman, Austin Pruitt and Josh Sborz on the shelf.

Crismatt has some decent numbers this year and also has the impressive track record during his time with the Padres. If the Rangers need a fresh arm at some point in the coming weeks, perhaps Crismatt will get the call. If he does so, he’s out of options but also has less than three years of major league service time, meaning he could be retained beyond this season if he holds a roster spot at the end of the year.