Rangers Trio Assigned to Minors

March 29: On the eve of Opening Day against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Rangers announced the following transactions:

- LHP John King optioned to Triple-A Round Rock

- RHP Dominic Leone re-signed to a minor league contract and assigned to Round Rock

- OF Dustin Harris option transferred from Round Rock to Double-A Frisco

March 28: Catcher Sandy Leon will re-sign with the Texas Rangers, per a report in the New York Post. 

The Rangers announced on Monday that they would release Leon, who was a non-roster invitee to spring training camp. Given his release, Leon had the chance to shop his services around the league. 

The move has not been officially announced by the Rangers. But should Leon follow through, he would give the organization additional depth at catcher behind Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver and Sam Huff, the last of which is on the 40-man roster but will star the season at Triple-A Round Rock.

Leon is a 10-year veteran and a .210 lifetime hitter.

The Rangers play their final exhibition game on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals.

March 27: Former Texas Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara was released by the Baltimore Orioles in another blow to a once-promising career. Considered one of the top prospects in baseball while coming up with the Rangers, Mazara has struggled mightily the last few years.

Since being traded by the Rangers after 2019 season, Mazara has played sparingly for three different organizations – Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres – over the last three years. He failed to get more than 181 plate appearances in each of those three seasons after having no fewer than 469 in his four years with Texas.

Mazara, 28, hit .261 with 79 home runs and 308 RBI with the Rangers. He was signed by the Orioles to a minor-league deal in December.

March 27: The Texas Rangers announced on Monday that they have released catcher Sandy Leon, who was a non-roster invitee to spring training camp. 

Leon is a 10-year veteran and a .210 lifetime hitter. 

The move underscores the comfort the Rangers have in the tandem of Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver. Heim will get the majority of the playing time, per manager Bruce Bochy, with Garver getting time at designated hitter when he isn't behind the plate.

The Rangers made the move in advance of its exhibition game on Monday with Kansas City.

March 25: The Texas Rangers have shut down pitcher Glenn Otto for three weeks as he prepares to be re-examined by team doctors on Monday in Arlington, per a report from Rangers Today. 

Otto, who won seven games last season and was a candidate for the bullpen, hasn't pitched in more than a week due to what the Rangers have called right lat tightness. 

Dr. Keith Meister, the Rangers' team doctor, will handle the examination. 

March 25: The Texas Rangers have informed reliever Joe Barlow that he will begin the season at Triple-A Round Rock. 

Barlow was a two-year veteran of the Rangers bullpen and, despite blister issues, led the club in saves in 2022 with 13.

He threw 8 1/3 innings of relief in Spring Training, going 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA. 

March 24: The Texas Rangers informed two players that they would be released and two other players that they would not be breaking camp with the team.

Manager Bruce Bochy made the announcement, at the same time announcing that pitcher Jacob deGrom would start on Opening Day. 

The Rangers informed pitcher Reyes Moronta and outfielder Joe McCarthy that they will be released. Both were signed as non-roster invitees for Spring Training. 

Moronta, a former San Francisco Giants reliever, threw in seven games and pitched 5 2/3 innings in spring, striking out five hitters. 

McCarthy went through Spring Training with the Rangers last season. He batted .258 with a home run and three RBI in 31 at-bats. 

Two other players won't break camp with the Rangers are first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo and outfielder Clint Frazier.

Bochy said the two players have not been released and are weighing their options. 

Tsutsugo was a late arrival to spring due to visa issues and batted .240 with one home run and six RBI in 25 at-bats. 

Frazier was contending for a utility outfield role. He batted .244 with two home runs and five RBI in 41 at-bats. 

With those moves, the Rangers are now down to 39 players on their spring roster entering Friday's game with the Chicago Cubs. 

The Rangers have three more games in Arizona before breaking camp and returning to Arlington for two exhibition games with the Kansas City Royals, starting Monday at Globe Life Field.