Rangers pick six from minors to add to 40-man roster. Who are they?
The Texas Rangers had plenty of players they didn’t want to expose to the Rule 5 draft, so many, in fact, they had to create room on the 40-man roster to accommodate six of them.
Right-handed pitchers Kyle Cody, Demarcus Evans and Tyler Phillips; infielders Sherten Apostel and Anderson Tejeda; and outfielder Leody Taveras were added to the 40-man and can’t be poached next month in the Rule 5.
The Rangers designated left-hander C.D. Pelham and righty Taylor Guerrieri for assignment to create spots for Cody and Tejeda after a source revealed around lunch time that Evans, Phillips, Apostel and Taveras would be added.
Not added were righty Joe Barlow and infielder Eli White, who become candidates to be selected Dec. 12 in the Rule 5 draft on the final day of the winter meetings.
Taveras, long rated as a top prospect, and Evans, one of the best relievers in the minors, seemed like no-brainers to be added. The Rangers didn’t want to risk losing Phillips and Cody, who are advanced starting pitchers even though Cody missed last season because of Tommy John surgery.
Tejeda and Apostel haven’t played above High A Down East, but are highly regarded young prospects a rebuilding team might have snatched up.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 8:04 PM.
