ARLINGTON, Texas _ The Rangers traded veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Rockies for a player to be named later Sunday night.
"This is an opportunity for Robinson Chirinos and Brett Nicholas to play more and for us to add young talent to the organization," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said in a released statement. "We wish Jonathan and his family well in Colorado and thank him for his work here with us."
Lucroy was hitting .242 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 77 games this season. Lucroy joined the Rangers in a deadline deal last season and performed well for the final two months. He has struggled at the plate for much of the season, especially his power numbers. He had a 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 47 games for the Rangers in 2016.
Chirinos, who was named the No. 1 catcher three years ago before battling multiple injuries that cut his playing time, has played in 46 games this season and has better power numbers than Lucroy. Chirinos has 12 homers, five doubles and 26 RBIs in 31 fewer games than Lucroy.
