The Texas Rangers acquired veteran outfielder Robbie Grossman from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday via trade, per Bob Nightengale. The Rangers are sending minor league right-hander Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa in exchange for Grossman.
Grossman was part of Texas' championship-winning squad in 2023, appearing in 115 games in the regular season before 19 at-bats in the postseason. Serving as a platoon outfielder and sometimes as the designated hitter, Grossman finished 2023 with a .238/.340/.394 slash line, driving in 49 runs with 34 extra-base hits.
Grossman was unsigned this year until March 22 when he inked a minor league deal with the White Sox. He joined the big league club on April 5 and appeared in 25 games before the trade. Grossman's numbers this season include a .211/.329/.268 slash line, four doubles, no home runs and four RBIs.
The switch-hitting Grossman has better stats against left-handed pitching. He hit over .300 against lefties last season, posting a .952 OPS in 137 plate appearances. That OPS ranked sixth in the American League against left-handed pitchers (minimum 100 plate appearances vs. lefties).
Grossman is a career .283 hitter against left-handed pitching. Overall for his career, the 12-year veteran has a .243 batting average, .722 OPS, 200 doubles, 90 home runs and 419 RBI in 1,151 games.
The Rangers already have a crowded outfield so one of them is probably getting demoted or released to make room for Grossman on the active roster. Travis Jankowski is a likely candidate given his poor start to the season in a limited role.
Hoopii-Tuionetoa was a 30th-round pick by the Rangers in 2019. He has not allowed a run and recorded one save across 12.1 innings of relief this season in Double-A. The 23-year-old has a 3.15 ERA and 18 saves in 83 career minor-league appearances.
Rangers heating up in May
Much like the rest of the AL West, the Rangers stumbled in April and closed the month with a 16-14 record. Then the calendar flipped to May and the Rangers have ripped off five wins in their last seven games to move into first place in the division with a 21-16 record.
Texas has dealt with several key injuries early in the season. The Rangers placed promising rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford on the injured list Monday, three days after they lost ace Nathan Eovaldi to a hamstring strain. Before that, left-hander Cody Bradford and starting third baseman Josh Jung hit the shelf in April.
All of those paired with their preseason injuries make this recent run of form more impressive for the Rangers. Texas is flexing its depth, particularly on the pitching side, and finding ways to win ballgames.
Trading for Robbie Grossman doesn’t necessarily move the needle for anyone, but it's a move that could help the Rangers long-term this season. There's never enough outfield depth and with the injury luck Texas has had over the past two seasons, it doesn’t hurt to bring in a veteran who's familiar with the squad.
The Rangers will battle the Seattle Mariners for the AL West crown this season, although there is still ample time for the last-place Houston Astros to crawl into the competition. Texas sits on top for now and will try to ride its momentum throughout May.
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