The Texas Rangers have made two roster moves as the 2024 season begins to close. They have placed outfielders Travis Jankowski and Robbie Grossman on waivers.
A source close to the situation has confirmed that the team officially placed both outfielders on waivers on Thursday, allowing them to join another franchise before the beginning of the 2024 playoffs, per The Dallas Morning News.
Other clubs around the league will now be allowed to claim either outfielder for the remainder of the season, with teams getting the opportunity to claim the players based on the reverse MLB standings.
Any team that files a claim will take on the entirety of that player’s contract, while the Rangers would receive savings of roughly $200,000 and open up a spot on the 40-man rosters, according to DMN.
Jankowski has struggled to find his footing in his second season with the Rangers. He has worked his way through the year with a batting average of .195 and just 30 total hits in only 85 appearances.
Similarly, Grossman has appeared in only 69 games for the Rangers and White Sox this season, batting just .225 with an on-base percentage of .333.
Teams could consider bringing in either of the veteran players to fill specific roles as the playoffs are just weeks away for 12 teams in the league; however, a claim must be submitted to the league before Saturday at 10:59 p.m. CT to beat the deadline for those players to be playoff eligible.
This roster movement comes just days after Jankowski robbed Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn of a walk-off home run, helping the Rangers secure a 4-3 win and eventual series sweep.
“If that ball would have come out of my mitt, I wouldn’t have slept tonight. Like that would be the most frustrating feeling. That’s a once in a lifetime play and you are not getting a chance to get that one back. So, it felt good to make that play,” he said following the game, per the DMN.
Texas is likely looking to get a better look at some of the younger players on the roster as the team is highly unlikely to make the 2024 MLB playoffs, becoming one of many teams in league history to miss the playoffs while attempting to defend a World Series victory.
The Rangers currently trail the Houston Astros by nine games and the Seattle Mariners by five games for first place in the American League West division, with just 28 games remaining on the schedule.
While the Rangers will likely not make the playoffs this year, they are looking at ways to maximize their roster for the 2025 season.