The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has signed free agents Matt Davidson and Hunter Pence to minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training camp.
 
Davidson, 27, is expected to work as a position player this spring while continuing to extend an offseason program in which he has attempted to prepare his arm for pitching. He has spent the past three seasons in the Chicago White Sox organization, posting back-to-back seasons of 20-plus home runs in 2017-18. He compiled a .228/.319/.419/.738 slash line with 20 home runs and 62 RBI for the White Sox in 2018, establishing career highs with 23 doubles and 52 walks.  
 
Davidson also had three dominant outings on the mound last year, joining Shohei Ohtani (2018) and Babe Ruth (1919) as the only players in MLB history with at least 20 home runs and three pitching appearances in one season. The former first round pick (35th overall) by the Diamondbacks in the 2009 June draft, Davidson has a career .226 batting average and .730 OPS figure over 273 major league games with Arizona (2013) and Chicago-AL (2016-18).
 
Pence, 35, batted .226 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI over 97 games in 2018, the last of his six and a half seasons with the San Francisco Giants. He was on the disabled list from April 19-June 1 with a right thumb sprain. He also batted .276 (8-29) with one home run and 6 RBI over 8 games with Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League in December. The three-time All-Star (2009, 2011, 2014) was born in Fort Worth and attended Arlington High School before he was selected by the Houston Astros in the second round of the 2004 June draft out of the University of Texas-Arlington. Primarily a rightfielder in his Major League career, Pence made 37 starts in left field for the Giants last season, his first MLB action at the position.
 
Pence has spent his entire career in the National League, recording seven seasons of 20-or-more home runs and five years of 80+ runs scored. He owns a career .280 batting average and .792 OPS figure, and joins Curtis Granderson as the only active players with at least 300 doubles, 50 triples, and 200 home runs. Pence has played for Houston (2007-11), Philadelphia (2011-12), and San Francisco (2012-18) in his big league career.
 
With today's additions, the Rangers have 65 players on the club's spring training roster: a full 40-man major league roster, along with 25 non-roster invitees.