Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright Hill to the minor leagues
Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the following roster moves prior to Friday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants at Globe Life Field:
- Infielder Davis Wendzel recalled from Round Rock (AAA).
- Outfielder Derek Hill designated for assignment.
Wendzel, 27, will be in his second stint with the Rangers this season, as he batted .069 (2-29) with one HR and 2 RBI over 17 games/9 starts (7-3B, 2-DH) in his first Major League action from April 8-May 19. The right-handed batter and thrower has spent the balance of the campaign at Round Rock, slashing .286/.394/.520/.913 (22-77) with 4 home runs, 6 doubles, 12 RBI, and 11 walks/12 strikeouts over 21 games/starts (12-3B, 7-SS, 1-1B, 1-DH). He has struck out in just 12 of 94 (12.8%) plate appearances, the 8th-lowest strikeout pct. among Pacific Coast League batters in 2024 (min. 90 PA).
The Irvine, Calif. native has spent the first 5 seasons of his professional career in the Texas organization, combining to bat .231/.339/.438/.777 (255-1105) with 60 home runs, 47 doubles, and 172 RBI over 306 games in the minor leagues. He was originally selected by the Rangers in the 1st round of the 2019 MLB Draft (41st overall) following a 3-year collegiate playing career at Baylor University (2017-19), where he shared Co-Big 12 Player of the Year honors with Josh Jung (Texas Tech) in 2019.
Hill, 28, went 2-for-9 (.222) with one stolen base in 5 games/2 starts (both in RF) with Texas after his contract was selected from Round Rock on May 21. The Des Moines, Iowa native signed with the Rangers as a minor league free agent on December 27, 2023 and opened the campaign at Triple-A, where he has slashed .333/.387/.659/1.046 (43-129) with 8 home runs, 4 triples, 10 doubles, 16 RBI, and 6 stolen bases over 34 appearances/31 starts (26-CF, 3-DH, 2-LF). The Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright Hill to the minor leagues.
With today’s transactions, Texas now has 39 players on the club’s 40-man Major League roster, along with nine players on the 60-day Injured List: Cody Bradford, Brock Burke, Carson Coleman, Jacob deGrom, Justin Foscue, Josh Jung, Tyler Mahle, Austin Pruitt, Max Scherzer.
