ARLINGTON, Texas — Already 15 games below .500, the Rangers are quickly moving into the next phase of their rebuilding season. They jettisoned veteran DH Khris Davis on Tuesday and also served notice that continued playing time isn’t necessarily guaranteed for struggling young hitters.
Davis, 33, was acquired in February from Oakland in the Elvis Andrus trade. Davis was in the last year of his contract and the Rangers’ willingness to take on his $16 million salary was a way to make the finances balance better. He was never considered a long-term fit. The Rangers now have 10 days to trade or release him. He could elect free agency if outrighted to the minor leagues.
“This is less about Khris Davis and more about where we are,” general manager Chris Young said. “It’s about what aligns for us this year and as we go forward. We need to look at our young players.”
Davis ended up getting only 61 plate appearances over 22 games before the Rangers decided to pull the plug. He was hitting .157 with a pair of homers — both in the last week — and a .596 OPS. He will be replaced on the roster by infielder-turned-outfielder-turned-hybrid Eli White.
White began the year on the major league roster as the part-time center fielder, but was sent back to Triple-A after posting a .127/.200/.164/.364 slash line for 55 at-bats. At Round Rock, he was used as both a middle infielder – his place before the Rangers acquired him in 2019– and an outfielder. At Round Rock, he slashed .343/.450/.531/.987 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
White will start in left field against San Francisco on Tuesday, but both Young and manager Chris Woodward said he could also start at second base and at first to give Nick Solak and Nate Lowe some time off. Both have struggled badly since the Rangers got to 18-18 on May 9.
Since that time, Lowe has slashed .160/.296/.210/.506 with 32 strikeouts in 81 at-bats. Solak is slashing .176/.245/.297/.542 with 29 strikeouts in 91 at-bats in the same time frame. Both had started every game of the season until last week.
“Absolutely,” Woodward said when asked if current regulars on the team could see playing time diminish if the lack of performance continues.
“They’ve done OK for two months. I thought some of them got off to a pretty good starts. But there’s nothing given to anybody. I don’t want to make these guys panic or look over their shoulder but that’s life. That’s life in a competitive environment. You shouldn’t be so comfortable that you can not be good for a long time and still have this thing gifted to you.”
