Rangers add veteran OF Schierholtz on Minors deal

The Rangers potentially added another name to a large pool of left-field candidates Friday by signing Nate Schierholtz to a Minor League contract. Schierholtz was invited to big league camp at Spring Training.

Turning 31 on Feb. 15, Schierholtz split the 2014 season with the Cubs and Nationals, combining to hit .195 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 122 games. The left-handed hitter is just a year removed from posting career highs in home runs (21), RBIs (68), doubles (32), and runs scored (56) for the Cubs in 2013.

Schierholtz has a career .253 batting average with 52 home runs over 799 Major League games with San Francisco (2007-12), Philadelphia ('12), the Cubs ('13-14), and Washington ('14). Primarily a right fielder throughout his big league career, he also has seen limited time in left field and center field. He played in the postseason for the 2010 Giants and 2014 Nationals, and appeared in three games for San Francisco in the 2010 World Series against the Rangers.

With the addition of Schierholtz, the Rangers' spring roster now stands at 61 players: a full 40-man roster plus 21 non-roster invitees to camp.