Texas Rangers are parting ways with Rougned Odor after 7 seasons

Rougned Odor will not be seen in a Texas Rangers uniform on Opening Day this year.

The second baseman was informed by Jon Daniels, the Rangers’ President of Baseball Operations, that he will not make the 40-man roster and has been designated for assignment for the time being.

Odor’s future with Texas was already in question leading up to spring training and the 2021 season. With the front office asking Rougned Odor to learn to play third base this spring, the writing was on the wall surrounding the future of his career in Texas.

Odor was called up in 2014 at the age of 20 and was once perceived as one of the future cornerstone pieces of the Texas Rangers organization.

Rougie played an integral role in helping the Rangers win the AL West in 2015. Odor put up solid numbers in the 2015 season batting .261 and racking up 61 RBIs in 120 games played.

During the 2016 season, Odor batted a career high of .271 and flexed his ability to hit dingers by knocking the ball in the stands 33 times.

The Rangers front office had seen enough and decided to offer Odor a six-year $49.5 million contract extension in 2017, and we can’t forget the two bonus horses Jon Daniels threw in with the deal.

During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Odor’s struggles with the Texas Rangers took over.

Everything seemed to decline in his play and the hitting droughts continued to grow longer. Since 2017, Odor struck out 514 times in 1,741 plate appearances. Finally, in the 2020 season, Odor posted .167/.209/.413/.622 in 38 games.

With younger players on the horizon and the front office’s patience shortening, it was no surprise that Odor’s time had inevitably run out.

With Odor no longer on the roster, Veterans Brock Holt and Charlie Culberson will instead get their chance to make a splash with the club. And it’s important to note, if a suitor cannot be found for a trade, the Rangers will owe Odor $12.3 million for 2021 and $27.6 million through the following year.

Whatever your opinion may be of Rougie, you can’t deny the many memorable moments he created while with the Texas Rangers.

You can’t talk about Rougned Odor without mentioning the José Bautista punch heard around the world.

Or even the countless electric walk-offs he provided for the Rangers throughout the years.

All we can do is applaud the good times, and hope for the best for Rougned Odor’s future.