Rangers acquire veteran reliever Jason Grilli for minor leaguer

The Rangers have acquired right-hander Jason Grilli and cash considerations from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league outfielder Eduard Pinto.

Grilli will join the Rangers on Monday in Arlington. The 40-year-old veteran had a 6.97 ERA in 26 appearances for the Blue Jays before being designated for assignment earlier this week. The Rangers DFA’d Preston Claiborne to make room for Grilli on the 40-man roster. They’ll need to make another move on Monday to make room on the 25-man roster.

Grilli allowed runs in two of his final 13 appearances for the Blue Jays. Left-handed hitters are hitting .250 against, right-handed hitters .293.

This is Grilli’s second stint in Texas. He joined the club in June 2009 from the Rockies and was 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA in 30 games as a setup reliever. He’s had major league experience with nine different teams since 2000.

The left-hitting Pinto, 22, was hitting .311 with four homers and 10 doubles in 46 games for High A Down East. Claiborne appeared in a game June 26 before being optioned back to Triple A Round Rock on Thursday.

This story was originally published July 2, 2017 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Rangers acquire veteran reliever Jason Grilli for minor leaguer."