TEXAS RANGERS SIGN OF DREW STUBBS TO MAJOR LEAGUE CONTRACT
LHP Alex Claudio optioned to Round Rock;
OF Josh Hamilton transferred from 15 to 60-day DL
Detroit, Michigan–The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has signed free agent outfielder Drew Stubbs to a major league contract.
Stubbs (#15) will join the club for Saturday’s game in Detroit.
To make room on the active roster, LHP Alex Claudio has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock of the Pacific Coast League. To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Josh Hamilton has been transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.
Stubbs, 31, signed with Atlanta on March 30 and opened the season with Braves, batting .237 (9-38) with one homer, 3 RBI, and 4 stolen bases in 4 attempts in 20 games. The right-handed batter started 7 games in center and one in left for Atlanta. He was designated for assignment on May 2 and released on May 3.
Stubbs had re-signed a minor league contract with Texas on February 27 and hit .300 (12-40) with 2 homers and 10 RBI in 19 spring training games. He was released on March 29 after refusing an assignment to Round Rock.
Stubbs finished last season with the Rangers, serving primarily as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. He also appeared in 4 of the Rangers’ 5 games in the American League Division Series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Stubbs combined to bat .195 with 5 home runs and 10 RBI over 78 games with Colorado and Texas in 2015. He was released by the Rockies on August 22 before signing a minor league contract with the Rangers two days later, and had his contract purchased by Texas from Triple-A Round Rock on September 1.
Stubbs is a career .244 hitter with 90 homers, 279 RBI, and 156 stolen bases over 862 major league games with Cincinnati (2009-12), Cleveland (2013), Colorado (2014-15), Texas (2015), and Texas (2016). The Atlanta, Texas native played on the University of Texas 2005 College World Series championship team.
Hamilton has been on the DL all season while continuing to rehab from off-season surgery in his left knee. He had been assigned to Double-A Frisco for rehab assignment on April 30 but appeared in just one game before experiencing recurring soreness and being removed from the assignment.
Claudio has allowed 2 runs in 5.2 innings over 4 relief appearances since his recall from Round Rock on April 13.
With today’s moves, the Rangers’ major league roster remains at 40 players.
-RANGERS-
