The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has signed third baseman Will Middlebrooks and infielder Doug Bernier to minor league contracts for the 2017 season. Both players will receive invitations to major league spring training camp.
The 28-year-old Middlebrooks spent last season in the Milwaukee organization, playing the bulk of the campaign at Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he batted .282 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 68 games. He also had one stint with the Brewers from July 4-24, going 3-for-27 (.111) over 10 games. The Brewers purchased his contract on July 4 and he was on the disabled list from July 25-August 29 with a right calf strain. He was reinstated from the disabled list on August 30 and assigned outright to Colorado Springs, but did not play again in 2016.
A Texarkana, Texas native, Middlebrooks has a career .228 batting average with 43 home runs and 152 RBI over 325 major league games with Boston (2012-14), San Diego (2015), and Milwaukee (2016). He hit at least 15 home runs in each of his first two big league campaigns with Boston in 2012-13.
Bernier, 36, batted .275 (114-414) with a career-high 10 home runs and 47 RBI over 120 games with Triple-A Round Rock in 2016. He appeared at all four infield positions for the Express and became the first player in Round Rock history to hit for the cycle on July 27 vs. Omaha. He appeared in the majors for 3 straight seasons from 2013-15 and has batted .217 over 46 big league games with Colorado (2008) and Minnesota (2013-15).