Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the following transactions:
- Right-handed pitcher José Buttó (pronounced ‘BOOT-oh’) acquired via waiver claim from San Francisco
- Infielder/outfielder Michael Helman assigned outright to the minor leagues
The 28-year-old Buttó made 3 appearances for San Francisco in 2026 (all in March and April) before being placed on the Injured List on April 2 with right arm fatigue that caused him to miss the remainder of the season. The Cumana, Venezuela native is a veteran of five Major League seasons with New York-NL (2022-25) and San Francisco (2025-26), posting a 13-10 record, 3.76 ERA, .223 opponent batting average, and 8.81 strikeouts per 9.0 innings across 98 career games/15 starts.
From 2023-25, the right-handed pitcher ranked among National League arms (min. 150.0 IP) in home runs per 9.0 innings (7th, 0.64) and hits allowed per 9.0 innings (12th, 6.69), pitching to a 3.30 ERA over that stretch. In 2024, Buttó registered career highs in wins (7), innings (74.0), strikeouts (79), and bWAR (2.2), covering the 6th-most innings for a Mets club that advanced to the National League Championship Series. Buttó was originally signed by New York-NL as an international free agent on December 21, 2016.
In two seasons with the Rangers from 2025-26, Helman hit .217 (28-129) with 6 home runs, 22 RBI, and a .695 OPS across 54 Major League games while also making 95 appearances for Triple-A Round Rock. The 30-year-old utility player has appeared in 63 MLB contests over three campaigns with Minnesota (2024) and Texas, seeing defensive action at all three outfield positions along with shortstop and third base.
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– RANGERS –**