Arlington, Texas—The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has received RHP Nick Mears on a waiver claim from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
To make room for Mears on the Major League roster, outfielder Eli White has been designated for assignment.
Mears, 26, spent the majority of the 2022 season on the injured list after having arthroscopic surgery to clean up scar tissue in his right elbow on February 9, 2022. He made 29 total appearances between Bradenton (Low-A) and Indianapolis (AAA), much of that time on rehab assignment, before pitching 2.0 scoreless innings in two games for the Pirates in the season’s final series versus St. Louis in early October. Mears was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on December 18.
Overall, Mears is 1-0, 4.75 with 32 strikeouts in 30.1 innings over 36 relief appearances with Pittsburgh from 2020-22, including 30 games in 2021. He was signed by the Pirates as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
White batted .200 with three homers, 10 RBI, and 12 steals in 47 games with the Rangers in 2022. He sustained a fractured right wrist in an outfield collision on June 12 and missed the remainder of the season. Originally acquired from Oakland in December 2018, White has a .185 batting average in 130 games with Texas from 2020-22.
With today’s transactions, the Rangers’ Major League roster remains at the 40-man limit.
