The Texas Rangers announced the following transactions on Friday:
·         Activated the following players from the 60-day disabled list: RHP Clayton Blackburn, RHP Matt Bush, RHP Doug Fister, RHP Nick Gardewine and RHP Ronald Herrera
·         Team will not exercise 2019 contract options on the following players: C Robinson Chirinos, RHP Doug Fister, LHP Matt Moore and LHP Martin Pérez
·         INF Hanser Alberto sent to New York Yankees on waiver claim
·         Assigned the following players outright to Triple-A Nashville, and all are expected to decline the outright assignment and elect free agency: RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx, RHP Clayton Blackburn, LHP Brandon Mann, C Carlos Pérez and OF Ryan Rua
With today's transactions, the following players are no longer on the 40-man roster: Alberto, Bibens-Dirkx, Blackburn, Chirinos, Fister, Moore, Mann, Carlos Pérez, Martin Pérez, and Rua. After the club's acquisition of left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly in a trade with the Chicago Cubs earlier today, the Rangers now have 33 players on the club's major league roster.
Alberto returned to majors for first time since 2016 and saw three stints with Texas. Bibens-Dirkx had four stints with the Rangers this year and underwent season-ending surgery on September 19 performed by Dr. Keith Meister to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. Blackburn spent the year on the 60-day disabled list following 'Tommy John' ligament replacement surgery in April. Bush's last outing came on June 13 at Los Angeles-NL, and he had surgery on September 19 performed by Dr. Keith Meister to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Bush is expected to be ready in the second half of 2019.
Chirinos ranks fourth in Rangers history in games caught (419) and he set career highs in games (113), home runs (18), and RBI (65) in 2018. Fister was on the disabled list from June 9 through the end of the season with a right knee strain. Gardewine had three stints with the Rangers, with the final stint comprised strictly of a stay on the 60-day disabled list with a right forearm strain. Herrera was on the 60-day disabled list for the entire season, and underwent surgery on June 11 to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right forearm.
Mann made 7 relief appearances in first career big league action spanning four stints with Texas in 2018. Moore ranked among staff leaders in strikeouts (3rd, 86), innings (4th, 102.0), and games (5th, 39) in his lone season with the Rangers. Carlos Pérez had two stints with Texas after playing for the Atlanta Braves at the start of the campaign. Martin Pérez missed 2 1/2 months due to issues stemming from an offseason injury to his right (non-throwing) elbow. He was originally signed by the Rangers as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2007. Rua was on the team's Opening Day roster for a fourth straight year, and he has spent his entire career in the Texas organization since being selected in the 17th round of the 2011 June draft.