Rangers Signal Shawn Armstrong To Main League Deal

The Rangers introduced this afternoon that they’ve signed right-hander Shawn Armstrong to a one-year, main league deal. So as to make room for Armstrong on the 40-man roster, catcher Sam Huff was designated for project.

Armstrong, 34, is a veteran of 10 main league seasons. He bounced between Cleveland, Seattle, Baltimore, and Miami as a roughly league common (99 ERA+) center reliever earlier than lastly establishing himself with the Rays in 2022. The precise-hander posted a 3.60 ERA with a 3.25 FIP in 55 innings of labor for Tampa that season, with a 26% strikeout charge in opposition to a 5.4% stroll charge. His sturdy stroll charge was notably notable on condition that Armstrong had struggled a bit along with his command earlier in his profession and entered the 2022 marketing campaign with a profession 9.2% stroll charge.

That stable work earned Armstrong a task within the membership’s bullpen the next 12 months as nicely, and 2023 proved to be a profession 12 months for the righty. He pitched to a glowing 1.38 ERA in 52 innings of labor to associate with a 2.54 FIP, although he didn’t break into the membership’s group of high excessive leverage choices and as a substitute was used extra continuously as a multi-inning possibility. 16 of his 39 appearances noticed him document greater than three outs, together with 12 the place he recorded two full innings or extra. Sadly, Armstrong didn’t handle to maintain up these sturdy ends in 2024. The precise-hander bounced between the Rays, Cardinals, and Cubs this 12 months however posted a below-average 4.86 ERA (84 ERA+) regardless of a stable 3.57 FIP. Regardless of that stable peripheral determine, there have been some indicators of regression for the right-hander as his strikeout charge dipped to only 22.4% in opposition to an 8.5% stroll charge.

Now that he’s latched on with the Rangers, Armstrong will be part of a bullpen that the wants a serious retool after dropping Jose Leclerc, David Robertson, and Kirby Yates to free company final month. He’s the fourth addition to the reduction corps GM Chris Younger has made this winter, becoming a member of Hoby Milner, Robert Garcia, and Jacob Webb. That quartet of signings ought to assist to lift the ground within the bullpen, and Garcia particularly is a Statcast darling who profiles as a possible late-inning arm. With that being stated, it appears seemingly the membership might want to make no less than yet one more addition with late-inning expertise after dropping its high three relievers concurrently.

As for Huff, the 26-year-old was a seventh-round choose by the membership again in 2016 and obtained some top-100 prospect buzz early in his profession after tearing by the minors and hitting an unimaginable .355/.394/.742 in a ten-game cup of espresso throughout the shortened 2020 season. Spectacular as that first style of the majors was for Huff, he posted a roughly league common .244/.299/.409 in 65 video games over the subsequent three seasons and in 2024 made it into simply three video games. Huff’s numbers additionally took a serious step backwards in Triple-A this previous 12 months, as he hit simply .246/.310/.416 within the inflated offensive surroundings of the Pacific Coast League.

With Jonah Heim and the newly-signed Kyle Higashioka seemingly locking up taking part in time on the large league stage for the Rangers for the foreseeable future, the Rangers clearly felt Huff was expendable on condition that he’ll be out of choices in 2025 and have to both be carried on the massive league roster or handed by waivers. Sometimes the Rangers would have one week to both work out a commerce involving Huff or try to go him by waivers. With that stated, that clock has placed on pause over the vacations in earlier seasons, so it’s doable {that a} decision for Huff received’t finally be introduced till the brand new 12 months. Ought to Huff clear waivers, the Rangers would have the chance to outright him to the minor leagues as non-roster depth.