Rangers Notes: Texas Takes a Flier on Oviedo

Juan Carlos Oviedo returned to the majors last year for the first time since 2011, posting a 3.69 ERA across 32 appearances out of the Rays’ bullpen.

The Rangers signed right-hander Juan Carlos Oviedo to a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training last week, and he could compete for a shot at the setup role ahead of closer Neftali Feliz.

Oviedo, who will turn 33 this March, pitched under the assumed name Leo Nunez through 2011, when his true name was revealed and he was handed a suspension for age and identity fraud.

Originally drafted by Pittsburgh almost 15 years ago, Oviedo made his major-league debut with the Royals in 2005 and spent parts of the next four seasons as a member of the Kansas City bullpen.

He enjoyed his most sustained big-league success after a trade to Florida (and an injury to Matt Lindstrom) left him as the Marlins’ closer from 2009-11.

Across 211 relief appearances with Florida, Oviedo racked up 92 saves with a 3.86 earned run average over 198 innings of work.

The hard-throwing Dominican did not reach the majors over the next two seasons while he was dealing with visa issues and recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he did return last year with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Oviedo got into 32 games for Tampa Bay and posted a 3-3 record with a 3.69 ERA in just under 32 innings pitched, closing the door on a 5-4 victory over Baltimore in mid-June to earn his first save in nearly three years.

The signing of Oviedo is a relatively low risk for Texas that could yield positive results if he can regain his velocity and return to form.

He has a chance to pitch his way into a late-inning mix that includes Roman Mendez, Spencer Patton, Tanner Scheppers and newcomer Kyuji Fujikawa.

Versatile Infielder Rosales Re-Signed

The Rangers and infielder Adam Rosales agreed to a one-year contract worth $900,000 last Monday, and right-hander Matt West was designated for assignment in order to create a spot for him on the club’s 40-man roster.

The 31-year-old Rosales became a valuable asset off the bench for Texas last season, making starts at all four infield positions (as well as designated hitter) while contributing a .262 batting average in 56 games.

(UPDATE: West was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.)

Rangers Add Outfielder Peguero

Corner outfielder Carlos Peguero will be in camp as a non-roster invitee this spring after he was signed by Texas to a minor-league contract on Tuesday.

Peguero, 27, spent much of the 2014 campaign at Triple-A Omaha in the Royals’ system, where he batted .266 with 17 doubles, 30 homers and 76 runs batted in.

Originally a 2005 draft pick of Seattle, Peguero has spent the bulk of his major-league service time (2011-13) to this point with the Mariners, although his productivity and playing time declined in each of those three seasons.

The lefty-swinging Peguero has shown consistent power at the minor-league level, amassing 167 home runs and 594 RBI across parts of eight years in the minors.

Rangers Notes: Frasor Traded to Kansas City

Jason Frasor posted a 5-4 record across 99 games out of the Texas bullpen the last two seasons.

Right-handed reliever Jason Frasor was dealt to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Spencer Patton, marking the first time since 2007 that Texas will be a seller approaching the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31.

Frasor had been one of the Rangers’ most oft-used hurlers over the past two seasons, appearing in a total of 99 games (second only to Neal Cotts’ 103 appearances in that span) while fashioning a solid 2.86 earned run average for Texas.

This year, Frasor had seen action in 38 games and threw well to begin the season, but he underwent a rough stretch this month in which he allowed at least one earned run in four straight outings.

He’ll look to upgrade a Royals bullpen that has already added veteran lefty Scott Downs this summer, bridging the gap to Wade Davis and All-Star closer Greg Holland as Kansas City hopes to keep pace in the American League Central.

As for Patton, the 26-year-old posted a 4.08 ERA across 34 appearances at Triple-A Omaha this season, and he struck out the only batter he faced at last week’s Triple-A All-Star Game in Minneapolis.

The trade of Frasor could be just the first of several potential deals made by the Rangers as they fall further back in the A.L. West, with Neal Cotts, Alex Rios and Joakim Soria also rumored to be on the block.

In a pair of transactions that followed the Frasor deal, catchers J.P. Arencibia and Geovany Soto were added to the active roster while first baseman Carlos Pena was designated for assignment. Arencibia is likely to supplant Pena as the Rangers’ everyday first baseman for the time being.

Club Drops Two of Three in Toronto

Texas began the ceremonial second half of the season by losing two out of three games to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, meaning that the Rangers will carry the worst record in baseball (39-59) into this week’s four-game series against the Yankees.

Behind a strong performance from Yu Darvish on Friday, Texas won the opener Friday by a 5-1 final. Darvish struck out 12 batters in his six-plus innings of work, and J.P. Arencibia connected for a three-run homer in the seventh against his former team.

Toronto rookie Marcus Stroman outpitched Colby Lewis in the Blue Jays’ 4-1 victory on Saturday, but the real story came when Lewis took visible exception to a bunt single laid down by Colby Rasmus in the bottom of the fifth.

“[Rasmus] didn’t try to steal on either of the first two pitches after that, so it told me it was more about the hit than getting into scoring position,” Lewis said. “I didn’t appreciate it.”

Dan Robertson tied Sunday’s rubber game at 5-5 when he delivered a two-run single off Mark Buehrle in the sixth, but Melky Cabrera greeted Neftali Feliz with a go-ahead homer in the eighth as Toronto won, 9-6, to take the series.

Gallo Named Futures Game MVP

Rangers prospect Joey Gallo was named Most Valuable Player of last week’s Futures Game in Minneapolis after clubbing a two-run homer to lead the United States to a 3-2 win over Team World.

“This is definitely my most memorable home run,” he said. “To hit one in front of 37,000 people … definitely.”

Gallo, 20, was promoted from High-A Myrtle Beach to Double-A Frisco in early June, and he has combined to hit .298 with a total of 31 home runs in the minors this season.

Rangers Notes: Injuries at First Mean another Chance for Pena

Carlos Pena connected for his first major-league home run in over a year Wednesday against Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez.

More than 15 years after getting drafted in the first round by Texas, Carlos Pena is back in a Rangers uniform and in the starting lineup following injuries to first basemen Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland.

Pena, 36, had his contract purchased from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday while outfielder Brad Snyder was designated for assignment by Texas to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Snyder had been filling in at first since Moreland went on the disabled list earlier this month, but he never found any consistency at the plate and batted just .167 (5-for-30) with 10 strikeouts in 10 games for the Rangers.

Although Pena is not expected to hold down the first base job for an extended period of time, his presence could help Texas boost a batting order that has been decimated by injuries. He didn’t wait long to make an impact, either, going deep off Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez in Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to Detroit.

“I felt like a kid out there,” said Pena, who had also spent four years with the Tigers early in his career. “I was so excited when I hit the home run, I almost missed first base.”

Unfortunately, Pena’s return to Arlington was one of the few highlights for Texas over the past week, as the team has now lost eight in a row and fallen 12 games behind Oakland in the American League West division.

Texas wrapped up a lengthy A.L. West road trip last weekend by getting swept in Anaheim, beginning when Joe Saunders was pounded for seven runs in less than five innings in a 7-3 loss to the Angels on Friday.

Shin-Soo Choo sent Saturday’s game into extra frames with a solo homer off Kevin Jepsen in the top of the ninth, but Josh Hamilton singled home Howie Kendrick in the tenth to give Los Angeles a 3-2 walk-off victory.

Rookie right-hander Matt Shoemaker helped the Halos complete the sweep Sunday, pitching into the eighth inning while Yu Darvish endured a poor start en route to a 5-2 Angels win.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler made his return to Globe Life Park as a visiting player on Tuesday, homering in his first at-bat against Colby Lewis and collecting three RBIs as Detroit won the series opener by an 8-2 final.

Joe Saunders got roughed up again Wednesday as the Tigers hung on for an 8-6 victory, and Detroit handed the Rangers another sweep with a 6-0 shutout thrown by Rick Porcello on Thursday.

Lefty Marks Acquired on Waiver Claim

The Rangers received left-handed pitcher Justin Marks on a waiver claim from Oakland last Friday, optioning him to Triple-A Round Rock and transferring first baseman Prince Fielder from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list in a concurrent move.

Marks made his major-league debut with the Kansas City Royals earlier this season – giving up three walks and three runs in just two innings of work – then was designated for assignment and traded to the Athletics for cash considerations on June 2.

In 17 appearances between Triple-A Omaha and Sacramento, the 26-year-old Marks had posted an earned run average of 5.03 while striking out 29 batters against 12 walks.

Bard Released from Single-A

Former Red Sox reliever Daniel Bard was released from Single-A Hickory last Thursday, stalling his attempt to return to the majors after a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome operation over the winter.

A first-round pick by Boston in 2006, Bard made his big-league debut in ’09 and emerged as one of the top setup men in baseball the following season, appearing in 73 games out of the Red Sox bullpen and holding opponents to a .176 batting average.

During his stint in the Rangers’ farm system this summer, however, the 29-year-old Bard struggled with recurring command issues, walking half of the 18 batters he faced at Hickory while posting a disastrous 175.50 earned run average.

Rangers Notes: Club Takes its Lumps against Nats, O’s

One of Texas’ most oft-used pitchers, Alexi Ogando is now on the disabled list with soreness in his elbow.

With more than a third of the regular season having come and gone, the Rangers still find themselves treading water in the American League West after losing four out of six games against Washington and Baltimore.

Texas concluded its longest road trip of the year last weekend by dropping two of three contests in our nation’s capital, scoring two runs in all three games and getting thoroughly walloped both Friday and Saturday.

Playing under National League rules in Washington, Colby Lewis helped his own cause last Friday with a two-out RBI single in the second inning, putting the Rangers ahead by a 2-0 margin against right-hander Stephen Strasburg.

While Strasburg settled down after his rough start, however, Lewis began to unravel in the middle frames, getting tagged for a three-run homer by Ian Desmond in the fifth as the Nationals plated nine unanswered runs and marched to a 9-2 victory.

Washington kept up its assault on Texas pitching Saturday, driving Rangers starter Nick Tepesch from the game after just two innings and slugging a total of four home runs on the afternoon. Veteran righty Doug Fister scattered four hits over six frames while Adam LaRoche slugged a three-run homer to help the Nats nail down a 10-2 win.

After having his last start skipped due to neck stiffness, Yu Darvish returned to the Texas rotation Sunday and appeared to be in top form, tying his season high with 12 strikeouts and keeping Washington off the board with eight shutout innings of work.

Former Rangers farmhand Tanner Roark was also impressive, but his only real blemish – a solo home run allowed to Leonys Martin in the seventh – turned out to be the difference in a 2-0 win for Texas.

Outfielder Nelson Cruz made his first visit to Globe Life Park as an opposing player on Tuesday, coming in with Baltimore as the major-league leader in home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage.

Cruz added to his season totals with a three-run shot in the eighth inning off Shawn Tolleson, turning what had been a close game into a blowout as the Orioles won by an 8-3 final.

Adrian Beltre cranked a pair of opposite-field home runs and collected five RBIs Wednesday off Baltimore starter Bud Norris, but that was all the offense Texas could muster while the Orioles kept adding on against Nick Martinez en route to a 6-5 victory.

The Rangers scored five early runs and drove Chris Tillman from the mound in the second inning Thursday, getting a two-RBI single from Mitch Moreland and a two-run homer from Michael Choice to provide Colby Lewis with a quick lead.

Although Baltimore climbed back with a pair of multi-run innings against Lewis, Texas pulled away by scoring three more times in the bottom of the seventh to secure an 8-6 win and avoid the potential sweep.

Ogando Placed on DL; Scheppers Returns

The Rangers placed right-hander Alexi Ogando on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday due to elbow inflammation, recalling lefty Aaron Poreda from Triple-A Round Rock to fill his spot on the active roster.

Ogando had been used with surprising frequency through the season’s first six weeks, only once getting as many as four days’ of rest in between appearances, and he was never able to settle into an effective groove.

While Texas is confident that Ogando will not require surgery on his ailing elbow, he is not expected to be back in the pitching fold until after the All-Star break next month.

As for Poreda, his shuttle between the majors and the minors continued Thursday when he was sent back to Round Rock to clear a big-league roster spot for Tanner Scheppers, who returned from the DL following his own bout with elbow inflammation.

Donald picked up from Kansas City

Utility infielder Jason Donald was acquired from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations last Thursday, and the versatile 29-year-old was assigned by Texas to Triple-A Round Rock.

Donald had been with Kansas City’s Pacific Coast League affiliate in Omaha this season (although he was on paternity leave at the time of the deal), batting .231 over 25 games and seeing action at all four infield positions.

The entirety of Donald’s big-league experience to this point came with Cleveland from 2010-12, where he got into a total of 170 games while playing mostly middle infield plus some time at third base.

Rangers Notes: Andrus, Profar Hold Value as Trade Chips

In four full seasons with Texas, Elvis Andrus has career totals of 341 runs scored and 123 stolen bases.

The Rangers enjoy the benefit of having two quality shortstops below age 25 in their system — Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar — and that flexibility may allow the club to use one of them in a deal to obtain pitching, catching or outfield help.

Some of Texas’s offseason needs could change based on where free agents like Mike Adams, Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli sign this winter, but the Rangers are sure to be looking for a front-end starter as well as depth in the infield, outfield and behind the plate.

Andrus, 24, is in the middle of a three-year contract that will pay him an average annual salary of $14.4 million through 2014, and his name has come up in recent trade rumors linked to Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton.

At the Major League Baseball general managers’ meetings last week in California, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale reported that while Texas has “expressed strong interest” in Upton, the club may be unwilling to part with either Andrus or Profar.

To that end, the Rangers attempted to get yet another young shortstop over the weekend – Andrelton Simmons of Atlanta – in exchange for corner infield prospect Mike Olt, but the Braves turned down that proposed deal, perhaps wanting to acquire Upton themselves to satisfy their own outfield needs.

“[Upton] will not be an easy guy for us to move,” Arizona general manager Kevin Towers said in Nightengale’s piece. “But if somebody is willing to step up and we think it’s a deal that’s going to make the Diamondbacks better next year and going forward, we’ll talk about trading him.”

Should Arizona indeed choose to hang onto its 25-year-old outfielder, the Rangers may use Andrus or Profar as part of a trade elsewhere, or they could keep both and turn the pair into next season’s middle-infield combination.

That would displace Ian Kinsler at second base, of course, although the three-time All-Star has previously indicated a willingness to switch positions if needed, most likely to a corner outfield spot.

“I think it’s definitely possible,” Kinsler said after signing a $75 million contract extension back in April. “Whatever it takes to win games … I want to be of value to the club any way I can. If that comes about, it’s definitely something I’m willing to listen to.”

Hamilton Declines Offer; Wins Silver Slugger Award

As expected, outfielder Josh Hamilton turned down the Rangers’ qualifying offer of $13.3 million, officially making the first-time free-agent one of the marquee names on this winter’s open market.

Hamilton, an All-Star in each of his five seasons with Texas and winner of the 2010 American League MVP award, batted at a .285 clip last year while posting gaudy power numbers with 43 home runs and 128 RBIs.

For his performance, Hamilton took home his third career Silver Slugger on Nov. 8, joining Julio Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez and Ivan Rodriguez as the only players in franchise history to have won the award at least three times.

Cotts, Four Others Agree to Minor-League Deals

Veteran left-hander Neal Cotts was one of five players signed to minor-league contracts by the Rangers on Monday, with all five receiving invitations to big-league spring training next March.

Aside from Cotts, who had approved his deal in principle last month, Texas also agreed to terms with catcher Juan Apodaca, outfielders Jim Adduci and Aaron Cunningham and right-hander Yonata Ortega.

Texas Trades for Southpaw Hottovy

The Rangers acquired left-hander Tommy Hottovy from Kansas City last Thursday in exchange for cash considerations and a player to be named later.

Hottovy, 31, spent much of the 2012 season with Triple-A Omaha in the Pacific Coast League, making 41 relief appearances and finishing with an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.81 across 50 innings pitched.