Rangers add to pitching depth with ex-Mets starter Niese

The Texas Rangers continued to add to their stockpile of low-risk, low-cost options for 2018 on Tuesday by signing free-agent left-hander Jon Niese to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Niese is the 22nd non-roster invitee to Rangers camp, which opens Feb. 15 in Surprise, Ariz., with the first workout for pitchers and catchers. He didn’t pitch in the majors last season while on the mend from surgery on his left knee that ended his 2016 season.

He worked as a reliever last spring for the New York Yankees, and the Rangers consider him left-handed depth. Niese has only 14 of his 211 appearances out of the bullpen, but he made four relief appearances for the New York Mets in the 2015 World Series.

Rangers assistant pitching coach Dan Warthen was the Mets’ pitching coach for each of Niese’s 188 games with them. Niese is 69-68 with a 4.07 ERA in his career, which started in 2008.

He joins a cast of non-roster pitchers in camp that includes right-handers Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Steve Delabar, Deolis Guerra, Shawn Tolleson and Erik Goeddel, another former Mets pitcher. Tolleson underwent Tommy John surgery last year and hopes to be pitching in games by July.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Rangers add to pitching depth with ex-Mets starter Niese."