Texas Rangers acquire another veteran outfielder in trade with San Diego Padres on a permanent basis
Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman is on his way to Texas.
Grossman, who spent all or parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Tigers, was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Texas Rangers Wednesday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa.
Grossman, 34, signed a minor-league contract this season with the White Sox after helping the Rangers win the 2023 World Series.
In 25 games with Chicago this season, the 12th-year switch-hitter batted .211 with four doubles, no home runs, four RBIs and 13 walks in 85 plate appearances. He has a career average of .243 with 90 home runs and 419 RBIs in 4,401 plate appearances.
Grossman’s best season was with the Tigers in 2021, when he hit 23 homers, knocked in 67 runs and stole 20 bases. All are career highs.
During his stint in Detroit, Grossman batted .228 with 25 home runs, 90 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.
Texas Rangers pitcher Josh Sborz has been put on the injured list for the second time this season. This time, it’s because of a right rotator cuff strain.
Sborz’s outing in the second game of the Rangers’ doubleheader against Oakland on Wednesday was brief. After facing just two batters, he left the game due to concerns about his shoulder.
This is the same issue that sidelined him earlier this season, causing him to miss 17 games from April 7 to April 25.
He won’t be eligible to return until May 24 at the earliest. So far this season, he’s pitched 5 1/3 innings over seven games with a 1.69 ERA.
In last year’s World Series, Sborz played a key role in helping the Rangers secure the championship by getting a save in Game 5 against Arizona.
No immediate roster move was made by the Rangers since they didn’t have a game on Thursday. However, they will need to add a player to their active roster before Friday’s series opener against Colorado.
Gray, 32, signed with Texas as a free agent in December 2021 after seven seasons with Colorado. He debuted in 2015, won at least 10 games each year from 2016-19 and started the 2017 National League wild-card game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He struggled in his final two seasons with the Rockies but has been a solid part of the Texas staff.
The right-hander earned the win in Game 3 of the 2023 World Series by throwing three innings of shutout relief, and the Rangers closed out the Diamondbacks in five games.
Gray has faced his former team once, getting a win with five innings of one-run ball on May 20, 2023, but that start came in Arlington, Texas. He was injured the last time Texas came to Denver in 2022, so he’s excited to face the Rockies at Coors Field.
“I just want to enjoy it really,” Gray told JustBaseball.com. “It’s a game at Coors Field, so it’s going to be fun. I’m excited to see what that’s like after being away for so long.
“I’ve always enjoyed pitching there, so I’m excited about it. I just feel like more of a complete pitcher.”
Gray was part of some good Colorado seasons, including back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017-18, but the Rockies are far from that now. They beat San Francisco 9-1 on Thursday to end a four-game skid, but they have only nine wins this year and have trailed in 36 of their 37 games.
