Jared

Walsh

Walsh inked a minor league contract with Chicago back in late April and never wound up making it back to the big leagues. The 30-year-old, who got into 17 contests earlier this year for the Rangers, was an impactful fantasy contributor earlier in his career, but it’s been derailed the last few years due to injury and his prodigious over-the-fence pop has never quite returned. There’s still a chance another organization is willing to bring him in as a potential reclamation project, but he’s probably running out of chances, especially since he’s struggled this season at the Triple-A level.

Walsh will report to Arizona before he is assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. The 30-year-old hit .226/.317/.321 with a home run and seven RBI in 60 plate appearances with the Rangers this season, but was let go after the team brought back Nathaniel Lowe from the injured list.

Walsh went unclaimed on waivers earlier this week and will test the free agent waters instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock. The 30-year-old former impact fantasy contributor made Texas’ season-opening roster following an injury to Nathaniel Lowe during spring training and batted .226 (12-for-53) with one homer and seven RBI in 17 games for the Rangers.

It’s a bit surprising to see the 30-year-old slugger pass through waivers unclaimed, though he hit just .226/.317/.321 with a homer and seven RBI in 60 plate appearances with the Rangers while covering for the injured Nathaniel Lowe. He’ll continue to function as excess depth at Triple-A.

With Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) activated from the injured list on Saturday, there was no longer room for Walsh on the Rangers’ active roster. The 30-year-old hit just .226/.317/.321 with a homer and seven RBI in 60 plate appearances during his time with the big league club. He could attract some interest on waivers.

With Nathaniel Lowe on the injured list, the 30-year-old journeyman finds himself making the active roster for the defending World Series champions. He’s unlikely to produce much value for fantasy managers this season given he hit 12-for-48 (.250 AVG) during spring camp.

Walsh will be officially added to Texas’ active roster prior to Thursday’s season-opener. It’s a really nice redemption story for the 30-year-old first baseman after a lost season last year with the Angels. He’s unlikely to make an impact for fantasy managers, but he’ll help fill the void created by Nathaniel Lowe’s absence to open the year.

As a team, the Rangers totaled just four hits against Shane Bieber and company, with Walsh’s two-out single in the second inning accounting for a quarter of that total. The door is open for him to start at first base on Opening Day with Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) sidelined, and Walsh seems to be rising to the occasion. He’s hitting .346 (9-for-26) with a pair of homers and four RBI so far in Cactus League competition.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed Friday that Lowe is dealing with an oblique strain that is going to keep him sidelined for “a little bit.” The initial estimate from the team puts his return at roughly 3-4 weeks, which means fantasy managers should prepare for the possibility that he opens the year with a brief trip to the injured list. The 28-year-old first baseman’s potential absence seems to kick the door wide open for top prospect Wyatt Langford to make the Rangers’ season-opening roster. It also opens up the possibility of former first-round pick Justin Foscue or Angels cast-off Jared Walsh making the Opening Day roster in his place.

An All-Star for the Angels in 2021, Walsh, 30, has since dealt with chronic headaches and fatigue that have rendered him ineffective. Last year, he hit .125/.216/.279 in 116 PA in the majors and .217/.360/.375 in 225 PA in Triple-A. It’d be great if he could bounce back, and should he turn in a great spring, it’s possible he could step in as the Rangers’ DH against righties initially. Still, it’s far more likely that he’ll have to go crush it in Triple-A before getting another chance.