CINCINNATI _ As expected, Carlos Gomez will join the Texas Rangers on Thursday to open a 10-game homestand, and manager Jeff Banister said that the outfielder could have some extra motivation with a second chance.
Gomez, a former All-Star, was released by the Houston Astros and all 30 MLB teams chose to not claim him on waivers. That's about as unwanted as a player can be.
"When a team says they don't want you anymore and he was not claimed by anybody, I would think to a player of his caliber that's somewhat of a wake-up call," Banister said. "Almost a punch in the nose, if you will.
"What I know about Carlos is, for everything you see, this is a guy who still has passion for the game. I think he still has a skill set that is still in the upper portion of baseball. He's not only playing for this team, but I've got to believe he's playing to show the rest of the baseball world he's still a relevant player and still has a lot of baseball to play."
Gomez finished three games with Triple A Round Rock 4-for-13 after going 0-for-4 Tuesday with two strikeouts. Banister saw the video of the at-bats, and said that Gomez stayed within himself and didn't have any of the infamous swings in which he falls down or his helmet flies off.
The scouting reports said that Gomez is playing with energy, and he told reporters earlier this week that he is grateful that the Rangers gave him a second chance.
Doing so, though, will force the Rangers to potentially make two difficult roster decisions. Gomez will need a place on the 40-man and 25-man rosters, which the Rangers can accomplish by placing Shin-Soo Choo on the 60-day disabled list or designating a player on the 40-man for assignment.
The Rangers aren't expecting Choo to be healthy enough to return before the end of the regular season Oct. 2 after he underwent surgery Aug. 17 to fix a broken left forearm. He would remain eligible for the postseason, but the earliest he could be activated would be the American League Championship Series.
