Dane

Dunning

Dunning was unclaimed after being designated for assignment Wednesday. The 30-year-old will rhead back to Triple-A as a depth piece, and he’ll be need to be added to the 40-man roster if Texas wants him in the majors.

Dunning winds up losing his spot on Texas’ active roster due to a roster crunch created by an injury to backup catcher Kyle Higashioka. The 30-year-old righty figures to pass through waivers unclaimed, but there’s a chance another team out there is willing to roll the dice.

Dunning rejoins the Rangers’ relief mix just a couple weeks after being jettisoned from the club’s 40-man roster altogether. The 30-year-old righty failed to make Texas’ season-opening roster, but he’ll get another look in long relief after posting a pedestrian 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 21/9 K/BB ratio across 20 innings (five starts) for Triple-A Round Rock in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Dunning went unclaimed on waivers and will remain in the Rangers organization. That’s a bit of a win for Texas, considering Dunning has a career 4.35 ERA and can pitch out of the bullpen or stretched out as a starter. His versatility will likely come into play this season when injuries inevitably take a toll.

Any team that claims Dunning would assume his $2.33 million contract for this season. If he clears waivers without being claimed, the Rangers can outright him to the minors. Dunning had an 8.18 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 14/4 K/BB ratio in 11 innings this spring. Even for the soft-tossing Dunning, his velocity was down this month as he was barely topping out at 90 mph. It speaks volumes that Dunning, owner of a 4.35 career ERA, was considered a rotation option given the amount of injuries the Rangers have had in their rotation already this spring.

The runs were the first he’s allowed in six innings this spring. Still, it’s been disappointing to see Dunning’s velocity down a tad so far. He topped out at 90.5 mph and averaged 89.0 mph with his sinker today. We were hoping he’d get some velocity back after going from an average of 91.0 mph in 2023 to 89.7 mph last year.

The deal also includes incentives that could run the total a bit higher. It’s actually a step down from the $3.325 million that Dunning earned during the 2024 season wherein he struggled to a 5.31 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 91/40 K/BB ratio across 95 innings in 26 appearances (15 starts). Whether or not he’ll have any deep league fantasy value in 2025 will be determined by how he fares in his battle for a spot in the Rangers’ crowded starting rotation.

Dunning was making a spot start with Max Scherzer placed on the 15-day injured list, and things got off to a rocky start as he gave up a solo homer to Julio Rodríguez on the first pitch. He dealt with consistent traffic from that point on, but only gave up the one run. Dunning has flashed the ability to be a fantasy streamer, but there’s many more outings like this over his short career. Too many to trust him, anyway.

No details are available about Scherzer at this time, though it does seem injury-related. If he goes on the injured list, that would end his season. Dane Dunning will start for the Rangers against the Mariners Saturday.

Dunning pitched well in his first two starts in Triple-A, but he was roughed up last time, surrendering seven runs in 2 1/3 innings. He’ll probably finish out the year in middle relief, but he could always make a spot start if necessary. As a second-time arbitration-eligible penciled in to make $4 million or so next year, there’s the chance he’ll be non-tendered or traded this winter.