Texas Rangers Claim Pitcher Off Waivers from Toronto Blue Jays

BOSTON, MA - JULY 14: Chris Rowley #47 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the bottom of the of the tenth inning of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 14: Chris Rowley #47 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the bottom of the of the tenth inning of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Texas Rangers added pitching depth on Monday afternoon claiming pitcher, Chris Rowley, off of waivers by Toronto filling out the 40-man roster.

The Texas Rangers filled out their 40-man roster on Monday, claiming pitcher, Chris Rowley, off of waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. John Blake, Rangers Executive Vice President of Communications tweeted out confirmation of the move.

Rowley, who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock after the move, is a 27-year old righty. A graduate of West Point, he’s spent the majority of the 2018 season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate. In 17 games started, he’s posted a 5-6 record with a 3.30 ERA. Through 101 innings pitched, the righty has walked 42 while recording 63 strikeouts. Opponent’s are hitting .253 against him in Triple-A this year. He has had a short stint in the majors this year pitching out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays in 2 games. In those 2 appearances, he’s gone just 0.2 innings and given up 3 earned runs.

Over his minor league career, Rowley has appeared in 86 games, making 49 starts and has a career record of 25-16 with a 2.84 ERA. He has 373.2 career minor league innings where opponents hit just .240 against him.

More from Texas Rangers News

This is a move to add depth to the Rangers pitching staff and rotation as we approach the end of July. With names like Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and Keone Kela all mentioned as possible trade pieces, Texas is looking to bolster their rotation with cheap options. This likely won’t be the last waiver claim made by the Rangers as they move on from current pitchers on the staff.

Extra Note

Rowley is the first graduate of West Point to play in the MLB. In addition to being a pitcher, Rowley is also a First Lieutenant in the US Army.