Former infielder Michael Young retired in a Texas Rangers uniform before the season began, and he is now set to join the club’s front office as a special assistant to the general manager.
Young had been considered a candidate (though not a front-runner) for the Texas managerial vacancy, but he was not brought in for a formal interview while discussions instead turned to an executive role within the organization.
The 37-year-old Young played 13 seasons with the Rangers before he was traded to Philadelphia in December 2012, a move that followed some publicized differences between himself and general manager Jon Daniels.
Having already shifted from shortstop to third in 2009 (to accommodate Elvis Andrus), Young was not pleased when the club signed veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre in January 2011 and then dealt for catcher/designated hitter Mike Napoli later that month.
Although he requested to be traded at the time, Young eventually remained with the Rangers and helped lead them to a second consecutive American League pennant that year.
While in a Texas uniform, Young climbed to the top of the franchise leaderboard in several offensive categories, including at-bats (7,399), hits (2,230), doubles (415), triples (55) and runs scored (1,085).
After splitting the 2013 campaign between the Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, Young signed a one-day contract to retire as a Ranger in late January and was honored in a pregame ceremony in mid-May.
As for the managerial search itself, the team is soon expected to narrow its list of candidates from a group that includes interim skipper Tim Bogar as well as Jeff Banister, Steve Buechele, Kevin Cash, Alex Cora, Torey Lovullo, Mike Maddux and Joe McEwing.
Arencibia, Kouzmanoff Optioned; Ortiz Claimed
The Rangers announced a series of roster moves last Monday, Oct. 6, beginning with the outright assignment of six players to Triple-A Round Rock.
Catcher/first baseman J.P. Arencibia and corner infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff headlined a group that also included outfielder Engel Beltre, infielder Guilder Rodriguez and pitchers Pedro Figueroa and Wilmer Font.
Arencibia was signed as a free agent last December to provide catching depth behind Geovany Soto and Robinson Chirinos, but he wound up seeing action in 63 games for Texas after Soto went down with a knee injury in spring training.
Kouzmanoff, meanwhile, performed well during his brief time in a Rangers uniform, batting .362 (17-for-47) with eight extra-base hits and 10 RBIs across 13 games while Adrian Beltre was on the disabled list in April.
In another roster move announced Monday, Texas lost left-handed reliever Joe Ortiz to the Chicago Cubs on a waiver claim. Ortiz, 24, made his major-league debut in 2013 with 32 appearances out of the Rangers’ bullpen.
Righty Figaro Picked Up from Milwaukee
Right-handed pitcher Alfredo Figaro was claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 2 and placed on the active roster for Texas.
Across parts of four major-league seasons with Milwaukee and Detroit, the 30-year-old Figaro has made 52 appearances (including nine starts) and posted a record of 5-8 with a 5.04 earned run average.
He spent much of last season with Triple-A Nashville in the Brewers’ system, going 5-2 with a 3.71 ERA and 55 strikeouts against 22 walks.
Wilmer Font was designated for assignment in order to make room for Figaro on the Rangers’ active roster.
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