Rangers acquire knuckleballer Gamboa from Rays

The Texas Rangers continued to add to their stockpile arms Tuesday, acquiring right-handed knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.

To clear room for Gamboa on the 40-man roster, the Rangers moved retired slugger Prince Fielder and left-hander Jake Diekman to the 60-day disabled list. By moving both players off the 40-man, a spot has been created for Mike Napoli, whose one-year deal is expected to become official before the end of the week.

Gamboa, who had been placed on waivers earlier Tuesday, pitched in seven games last season with the Rays. Included were two scoreless innings against the Rangers in the regular-season finale. He finished 0-1 with a 1.35 ERA and went 6-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 27 games/12 starts for Triple A Durham.

The Rangers have 32 pitchers in camp, excluding Diekman but including Tyson Ross. He isn’t expected to pitch until May or June.

This story was originally published February 14, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Rangers acquire knuckleballer Gamboa from Rays."