Rangers Call Up Some Replacements
After Donnie Murphy went down last night with a neck strain, it was speculated that he might require a trip to the DL. Thought was that if it were to be deemed necessary, Rougned Odor might be called up to temporarily patch things up at 2nd base.
Today, that has indeed come to pass. Not only was Donnie Murphy placed on the DL, but Josh Wilson and Scott Baker were designated for assignment to make room for Odor, Luis Sardinas, and righthander Justin Germano.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this mass move is that it would seem the Rangers decided that the status quo at 2nd base was no longer enough, electing instead to get Odor and Sardinas some playing time to see if they can provide a spark. While Murphy will be eligible to return from the DL in 15 days, the fact that Wilson was DFA'd would seem to hint that either Odor or Sardinas -- or both should the Rangers decide to stick with the arrangement until Profar returns -- will get some significant time as we head into the summer months of the season.
It's unclear exactly how much we can expect from Odor, but my guess is that his promising upside and recent play convinced the Rangers that he could at least provide the same level of production at 2nd, and perhaps a bit more than that. Whatever the line of thinking is, it's sure to be entertaining to watch to see what happens going forward.
This is an aggressive move, the type you like to see made by a front office wanting to win now. Whether it works out in the Rangers' favor or not remains to be seen, but I love that they're not afraid to take some chances.