Rangers Designate Andrew Knizner For Assignmen

The Rangers announced that right-hander has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. In corresponding moves, the club optioned left-hander and designated catcher for a signment. Knizner, 29, signed with the Rangers in the offseason after being non-tendered by the Cardinals. Texas gave him a one-year deal with a $1.825MM salary, knowing that he could be retained via arbitration beyond this season as well. Unfortunately, the club has been struggling to get much production from the catcher position this year. hit .258/.317/.438 last year for a 103 wRC+ but he has dropped to a line of .232/.277/.346 and a 73 wRC+ this year. The falloff from Knizner has been even more drastic as he slashed .241/.288/. Caleb Thielbar Jersey 424 with the Cards last year for a 92 wRC+ but he is hitting .167/.183/.211 this year for a wRC+ of 4. Perhaps some of that can be attributed to a .206 batting average on balls in play but Knizner has also drawn walks at a paltry 1.1% clip and hit just one home run in his 93 plate appearances, compared to the ten he hit in 241 trips to the plate last year. The Rangers fortified their catching corps by acquiring from the Tigers prior to the deadline and then optioned Knizner to Triple-A, though he has now been bumped off the 40-man roster altogether. With the trade deadline now pa sed, the Rangers will have to put Knizner on waivers in the coming days. Despite his rough season, he could perhaps garner interest based on his past performance and contract status. He has one option left and therefore a claiming club wouldnt need to give him an active roster spot right away, though he would be out of options next year in that scenario. He has not yet spent 20 days on optional a signment this year, so its po sible he could retain that option next year if he either doesnt get claimed or is kept in the majors by some other club. He also came into this season with four years and 21 days of service time, putting him just shy of the five-year mark at present. If any club felt especially bullish about Knizners future, they could claim him, keep him on optional a signment for the rest of the year and then control him via arbitration for two more years. As for Mahle, he will be taking the mound for the first time in over a year. He required Tommy John surgery in May of last year, just a few months from free agency. The Rangers signed him to a two-year, $22MM deal with the knowledge that they would have to wait for his arrival. With Mahle and both on their way back from surgeries last year, the club felt good enough about their rotation depth to deal to the Royals prior to the deadline. But both and recently landed on the IL, thinning the group out further. As of right now, the group consists of Mahle, , , and , with in a long-relief role in the bullpen. Joe Mauer Jersey