Rangers purchase contract of RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx from Round Rock

The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx (#56) from Triple-A Round Rock. To make room on the active roster for Bibens-Dirkx, the team has optioned left-handed pitcher Brandon Mann to Round Rock.
Bibens-Dirkx, 33, is scheduled to make his season debut with Texas as the starting pitcher in tonight's series opener against Kansas City. He has spent the season with the Express, compiling a 2-3 record with a 3.72 ERA (16 ER/38.2 IP) in 8 games/starts, posting 8 walks against 32 strikeouts. Over his last 6 starts in the Pacific Coast League, Bibens-Dirkx has registered a 2.45 ERA (8 ER/29.1 IP) while allowing just one home run. He last pitched on Saturday at New Orleans, taking no decision in an abbreviated outing (3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R-0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 45 pitches/30 strikes).
The veteran was selected as the 2017 Rangers Rookie of the Year by the DFW chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America after going 5-2 with a 4.67 ERA over 24 games/6 starts with Texas in his first major league action last year. Bibens-Dirkx compiled a 1.13 ERA (1 ER/8.0 IP) in 4 relief appearances for the Rangers this spring as a non-roster invitee to major league camp before he was assigned to minor league camp on March 13.
Mann pitched 5.0 scoreless innings over 3 relief appearances for the Rangers after having his contract purchased on May 13. He became the second-oldest Ranger at the time of his major league debut (33 years, 362 days) when he pitched on May 13 at Houston.
With these moves, the Rangers are now at the 40-player limit on the club's major league roster, along with 6 players on the 60-day disabled list.