Texas Rangers: 3 players who won’t be back for the 2022 season

This winter is expected to be an active one for the Texas Rangers, which means fans can look forward to seeing a much-improved roster in 2022, assuming ownership and the front office live up to their big spending words.

As a result, there will likely be a number of casualties from the 2021 roster. Not that most of this past year’s 102-loss roster is worth remembering, of course, but typically roster turnover such as the kind the Rangers may undergo this off-season is rare.

Here are three players we can rule out returning to Arlington next season.

Texas Rangers players who won’t return in 2022: RHP Mike Foltynewicz

Signed to a one-year “prove it” deal in 2021 after being injured in 2020 with the Braves, “Folty” didn’t exactly do that with the Rangers this season.

The 30-year-old righty pitched in 28 games (24 starts) this season, with a 5.44 ERA and just 97 strikeouts in 139 innings pitched, transitioning to a bullpen role by season’s end after a stint on the IL.

Folty allowed an abysmal 35 long balls this season. That was among the highest figures in baseball and his propensity for surrendering home runs definitely cost him his season performance.

Though he did show some flashes of the pitcher that made the 2018 NL All-Star team with the Atlanta Braves, he just didn’t do it consistently enough for the 2021 Rangers. That will leave him without a return trip to Arlington in 2022.

Texas Rangers players who won’t be back in 2022: INF Brock Holt

This was definitely tough for me to write, because Brock Holt was fun to watch at times this season.

We can’t forget about the times he pitched this season, or the occasional clutch moment he provided.

But if we’re being realistic, there doesn’t seem to be a spot for Holt on the 2022 Texas Rangers, especially now that we’ve caught glimpses of younger infielders like Yonny Hernandez and Andy Ibanez, while others like Blaine Crim are on the way. Oh yeah, and top prospect Josh Jung at third base is kind of a big deal!

The Rangers should be providing more opportunities for those players to carve out a niche at the big league level rather than to veterans like Holt.

And it’s not as if though Holt was much of a factor offensively in 2021, hitting to just a .579 OPS in 235 at-bats. I believe Texas can and should expect better production from its players in 2022 given how badly the offense struggled as a whole this past season.

It’s possible the Rangers do keep a veteran infielder on the bench for depth for 2022, though. But right now, I’d be more inclined to give that spot to Charlie Culberson, whose 2021 was better offensively (.676 OPS). It’s simply redundant to have both Holt and Culberson return in 2022 when they can basically serve the same purpose.