Texas Rangers Add Adam Rosales to Opening Day Roster

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There is a reason why players like Adam Rosales become fan favorites. The Texas Rangers utility infielder may not have the greatest skillset, the most natural talent or look the part of a star athlete, but he gives the Rangers everything he has. He hustles. He plays anywhere he is needed. He is the type of gritty player that every team needs on the bench.

Even though the Rangers non-tendered him at the end of last season, Rosales still came back on a minor league contract. A non-roster invitee to Spring Training, Rosales just continued to do what he normally does – play hard anywhere he was asked to. That effort paid off, as he was added to the Rangers Opening Day roster.

Adam Rosales may not be the type of player that would last in a lineup over the long haul, but he can help offensively. His .262/.328/.378 batting line last year was just about league average, as Rosales posted a 99 OPS+. While Rosales is not much of a power threat, he does possess enough pop to have hit 24 home runs in 985 career at bats.

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Rosales has performed relatively well in Spring Training, posting a .295/.380/.523 batting line with two home runs. For someone who is slotted as a utility infielder, those numbers are more than respectable. But even more than his offensive output, Rosales once again proved his value with his defensive flexibility, as he has played each infield position over 60 times in his major league career.

That flexibility also gives the Rangers more options as to how they plan on filling out the roster. Since Adam Rosales can play anywhere on the diamond, the Rangers could look to keep an additional outfielder or another arm in the bullpen. Yet, given the type of player that Rosales is, it should be no surprise that he would provide other benefits for the Rangers.

Adam Rosales is the perfect complimentary player on a major league ballclub. Fortunately, we will get to see him sprint around the basepaths after hitting a home run in a Rangers uniform once again.

Next: Texas Rangers Lineup Review: Is it Enough?